While teaching 8th grade Resource Language Arts, I had a student
named Keith whose attitude and behavior and physical appearance was getting worse and worse.
He even started using his pen to mark satanic symbols on his body.
Finally one day I asked him if he really believed in the Devil. He
indicated that he certainly did. My reply was that if there was a
devil, then didn't it naturally follow that their was a God.
The
next day, I brought a paperback copy of 'Life After Life" and put it on
his desk. I told him that I'd give him an 'A' every day if he'd sit
with that on his desk and behave himself & that he didn't have to do
the classwork / just sit quietly without napping. He did so for a
number of days without opening the book, but boredom and perhaps
curiosity finally prompted him to open it and have a look. Quick peeks
were followed by short bursts of
reading as the days marched on. Finally, when he had received enough
'A's and he was drawn into the true stories of NDE experiences, he began
reading in earnest. He finished the book. Meanwhile he's stopped
renewing satanic symbols and began keeping his appearance up. One day
he simply gave me back the book and went to work on the class English
assignment.
But that's not the end of the story. Years later,
while I was teaching at a different school, I was walking in the school
courtyard and noticed a TV camera crew entering to set up for a camera
shoot. Suddenly a young man put down his load and hurried to see me
while calling my name. It was Keith. He was hale and hearty. And
after a quick conversation he rushed back to retrieve his load so the
crew could proceed.
Yeah! He'd made it.
