I had the opportunity to fill in for a high school Spanish teacher.  I could tell she liked teaching her subject just by how fun her room looked.  It was filled with the many different aspects of the Spanish culture.  There were posters in Spanish, movie posters, cartoon posters, sombreros and Mexican woven blankets and above the chalkboards were many of the most common phrases used in Spanish.

She had taught for a long time.  One student told me she lived in Venezuela, where the Spanish is a little different from the more common Mexican Spanish we have in Oklahoma.  She lived in Venezuela for about 25 years.  On her desk were two coveted items that would be reminders for her to keep working hard even when she gets tired of it all. . . She had been teacher of the year twice!

I enjoyed her classroom and the students.  I asked two students what class is like when the teacher is there.  They told me she likes it quiet.  I thought it had to be a little noisy to practice the Spanish but they said for the most part, it's quiet.  She teaches Spanish 1 through 4.

I had the opportunity to fill in for a teacher in a kindergarten class.  It was in a small, smalltown school that had children only in the early grades.

They were just "baby" students.  They were all eager to learn and to be good like I wanted them to be.

But sometimes their energy overtook them and they could hardly be still.  This was obvious at rest time right after lunch and recess. 

One student had the name of Lucky.  He was cute as a button.  His parents dressed him in a shirt that said, "I'm cute and adorable."   I wonder if he knew what his shirt said and that it made him even cuter.

After coming in from lunch recess.  All the students were lined up getting drinks.  Lucky came up to me with his hand covering his mouth.  His cheeks were puffed out.  I thought he just needed a drink so I told him to go stand in line for a drink and then stand against the wall to wait. 

Then about a minute or so later I saw him.  His hand was still covering his mouth.  He needed to throw up.  A big trash can was nearby so I pulled it down for him.  There wasn't too much. Then a kind teacher came by and told me to take him to the office.  She watched my class while we went.

Lucky came back about an hour later.  He was feeling okay.  For some reason his parent wasn't able to pick him up.  He had about one more an hour left before school was over.  He was full of energy when he came back to class at the end of the day, just as if nothing had happened. 

1.  Arrive at least 30 minutes early

2.  Read through the lesson plans for each session.  Almost always the teachers have typewritten plans laid out on their desk or podium.  Make notes of details that are important.  Make sure there is enough work to keep the students from talking in each class.  If there are not adequate plans, in a friendly way, ask a neighboring teacher or nicely ask in the office or teacher's lounge if you could get some copies made.

I know being a sub isn't that big of a deal but I like it.

I had my first job last Friday.

I read about this good idea for a class assignment in a Christian devotional called Daily Living For Seniors @ OnePlace.com. 

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. --1 Thessalonians 5:11

Each school year a fifth-grade teacher assigned her students a very special writing assignment. She asked them to write a nice sentence about each classmate.

It could be something they liked about the person or something they thought the person did well. The teacher then went line by line and put together a list for each student of all the nice words their classmates had written.

When this special teacher retired, many of her former students, who are now adults, came to her retirement party. But they carried with them more than just good fifth-grade memories. One by one, each student took out faded, well-worn sheets of paper...the treasured lists of encouragement.

One woman in her 20s told the teacher that whenever she felt down, she would open her scrapbook and read those words. A 40-something-year-old man admitted he carried his list with him in his wallet. Those positive words left a powerful, lasting impression!

Have you ever had someone say something nice that boosted your spirits or heard a kind word that made you smile?

Maybe you know someone who lives alone. Imagine how a timely phone call to see how they are would help. Perhaps writing a note to a friend who is ill might boost their spirits. There's so much you can do and say today to encourage those around you with the love of Christ!

Prayer Challenge: Thank God for those timely, positive words people have said to you, and ask Him for opportunities where you can encourage others today.

This also happened to my husband when he was in college on a choir tour.  Everyone was told to write out what impressed them the most about each person.