Sub--stantiated

On the first day that I subbed at a local high school, my role was confined to covering the start of classes while the teacher finished up a meeting and returned to the room. For all of the periods except one, that meant I had just enough time to greet the students and take attendance before the teacher returned. In one period, though, I was there for about fifteen minutes before the teacher got back, and it was the only period for which no lesson plans were left for me.

It was a rowdy group--I had been warned about them so I had prayed and prepared what I would do--and as the period got started I addressed them. I said, "In my experience, I have always expected the best from others, and have expected them to have the proper motivations to do the right thing. In particular, when I ask someone a question--whether I know that person or not--I expect an honest answer."

At that point one of the young men in the front row said, "You haven't been here before, have you?" The rest of the students chuckled.

I responded, "No, I haven't. But it does not change the fact that I expect honesty. And the temptation for you may well be significant to pull my leg or yank my chain or mislead me, but I still expect honesty. In fact, I have been a teacher for 17 years, and that has always been my expectation."

Two things happened at that point. First, when I said that I had been a teacher for 17 years, everyone in the room sat up a little straighter and got a little more quiet. Second, the lad that I had been told would be the most difficult interjected impatiently, "So what's your question?"

I replied, "What are you supposed to be doing in this class? Your teacher did not leave any plans for this period." The lad stood up, walked over near the teacher's desk, picked up a book and called me over. He began to explain what I needed to do. "We have journals. You write this sentence on the board and we copy it down in our journals. Then we make corrections to it. You turn the page and check our corrections."

As this young man spoke, two of his classmates on the other side of the room shrugged their shoulders, threw up their hands and hollered, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?" His look shut them up and he continued to explain the lesson to me. I looked at him, thanked him, and called on the class to get their journals. As I went to the board to begin writing, their teacher returned.

Just over a week later, I filled in for a social studies teacher at the same high school. In my last period of the day, I met the eldest brother of the young man that explained the lesson to me the week before. As I called the attendance list I noticed the last name, which is a little unusual. I said, "You are a brother to _____?"

He said, "Oh, you know my brother, huh? How do you know him?" As he acknowledged being the older brother, his classmates laughed knowingly, for indeed the younger brother has built quite a reputation for himself.

I replied, "Yes, I met him last week when I subbed for some of his teachers (for indeed that young lad had been in almost every class I subbed for the week prior)." As the knowing laughs continued, I pressed on. "In one of your younger brother's classes the teacher didn't leave any lesson plans. Your brother was the one that stood up and showed me what the class was supposed to be doing."

The older brother was stunned, as were his classmates. We talked further, and I described how it had unfolded. He finally shook his head in disbelief and said, "Wow, I gotta tell my dad about that! He won't believe it!"

"Believe it," I said. "Your brother did well."

Later in the period, while talking to the older brother one-on-one, I said, "_____ is a very smart young man. I hope you won't embarrass him in telling your dad about how he helped me last week."

The older brother replied, "Yes, my brother is very smart, especially with hands-on stuff. He goes to the technical high school in the afternoons. But, no, I won't embarrass him. I'm just glad he did the right thing." My final comment to the older brother was that I hoped he would encourage his younger brother to step up and do the right thing more often, and that I enjoyed meeting them.

Pondering these exchanges, I see more confirmation that my idea to start taking the necessary steps to become certified as a teacher in Maine is a good one. I have been reminded how much I love teaching and interacting with students, taking advantage of the opportunity to influence them in godliness, whether they see it that way or not. It is my desire to be used of the Lord in the lives of young people. I pray that these opportunities and steps of faith will yield a bountiful harvest of disciples of Jesus Christ, to him be the honor and the glory alone and forever.