The beginning of our Name Meaning Gifts.

Four days of Driver's Ed. can be quite an experience for home educated students. In 1997, it was my first class in traditional "public-school-format”. There were 19 other students; 19 people talked during quiet time, 17 didn't listen to the teacher, and 16 felt the need to add foul language when they disagreed about anything (including the teacher).

The first day, I was quiet; took notes, wrote down seating positions and names as I heard them, and paid attention to the teacher. (Driver’sEd hint: don’t be quiet if you want to blend with the crowd.) I was quiet.

I had 6 days at home before my next weekly Driver's Ed course. At least one dinner-time conversation each week was occupied with my retelling of the 4 interminable hours in class. The 4 hours themselves were very draining... psychiatrists would call it peer pressure. I called it spiritual warfare. The 6 days at home would re-energize me for each Tuesday evening, and I knew God would protect me, and He's been through Driver's Ed before. ;-)

On the second day... I sat a different chair. I think it is amusing to see the world twitch for a moment if you don't sit where you sat last time. It must be an unwritten law in class rooms and church pews that people pick a chair, and it’s theirs for all of eternity. If the rule is violated, either someone gets rebuked, or the other someone gets confused. (Driver’s Ed hint: never change chairs if you want to blend with the crowd) I changed chairs, which somehow merited the attention of the rest of the students... Suddenly they noticed me, as if I had mysteriously teleported from my original seat to one across the room.

I remained quiet for the most part, except for a few honest questions to the teacher... (Driver’s Ed hint: never ask what DUI stands for if you want to blend with the crowd.) I asked what DUI stood for, and the other 19 students roared in laughter. So for the rest of the class that night, I gritted my teeth as the students would quietly...or not-so-quietly ask me mocking questions:

"Are you Amish?" "What school are you from?" "How old are you?" "You don't drink!?"

I politely answered some questions, but during teaching time, I kept my attention on the teacher and my mouth shut. And the quiet, or not-so-quiet questions...shall we say, "deteriorated in virtue and intellect." It became a sport for them to try to put down or embarrass or anger me. (Driver’s Ed hint: don't ever listen to the teacher when she's talking if you want to blend with the crowd.)

When the 10 minute break came around, half the class would simultaneously jump out of their chairs and head for the door so they could smoke outside. Those that remained began what seemed the only activity left; interrogate the weird one!

So the questions would begin like a flood. The first one was simple enough. They wanted to know why I so rudely ignored them during class-time. I reminded them of the rules that the teacher had made at the beginning of class. "Oh, was that for during class time? I thought that was for after we left!" was their average response. It took some thought to determine whether their comments were mocking...or sincerely ignorant.

Their interrogation deteriorated from rude to mocking questions again, so I turned my attention to my notes. One girl swore and exclaimed, "?#!#! --are those your notes!?!?" I answered that they were, and then several of the students began remarks about how badly I must want to finish this class, or how silly note-taking was in a class so easy. (Driver’s Ed Hint: never take notes, if you want to blend with the crowd.)

As the 10 minute break concluded, the teacher, Norma, who had appreciated my studentship, instructed one of the girls to pass out paper and pencils to each of the others. "For everyone's notes." she said, commandingly, and then threatened that their grades could be impacted by their attentiveness. It was nice to know she had been listening to what was going on, but it also meant the other students would blame me for the now-required notes.

Upon returning home, my family asked questions about what "real-school" was like. But instead of only focusing on “defending” myself from the Driver’s Ed mob, I began wondering what I could do to bless my fellow students. I mean, on one hand, I'd rather leave the enemies alone, get the class done and get away from them... but on the other hand, the students weren’t the enemy; they were children just like me, raised with a different set of circumstances, influences and standards, and generally making some bad decisions along the way.

I was concerned that my silent, stern attentiveness would become their definition of what Christian Home Educators are. And there's just so much more FUN to us when we're not dropped into a verbal battle zone.

On the third day, I again chose a different chair, further challenging the mind of its previous occupant to actually think about what to do when someone so rudely interrupts his universal laws of public school seating.

This day was a little different; it STARTED with questions about "silent-John." Some honest, sincere questions, like "Where do you go to school?" "What's home education?" "Who do you hire to teach you?" "How can you learn by yourself?" (yes, that was a sincere question!) And then a mixture of... less “virtuous” questions that I won’t bother to type here. (Driver’s Ed hint: never leave insults without an obscene reply if you want to blend with the crowd.) I simply answered only the sincere questions... IF they were before "quiet-time" started.

The students began to made sport of seeing how many whispered...or not-so-whispered insults they could make against me. I sighed and kept my mouth shut, and focused on listening only to the teacher. Two of the girls began to pass folded notes past me to each other, once asking if I would "Hey. —here; pass this over to Carrie." The girls were silenced temporarily by the teacher's reprimand for passing notes. The girl named "Autumn" continued to write on her notepad. As the class continued, she tore off her paper, folded it, and slid it in front of me. "Here.” she whispered.

I left it, barely taking my eyes off the teacher, and continued to focus on the lesson. I was sure she was merely passing along another written joke at my expense.

The 10-minute break came, and half the students again popped up and headed for the door. The girl named Autumn stayed, and asked why I didn't read the note. I told her I didn't realize it was for me. "Yes, why didn't you read it?" "The teacher doesn't want us to pass notes during class" I said, as I reached for the folded paper.

I suspected it was going to be another joke on me, so I placed it in the back of my notebook, and told Autumn I would read it later.

"No. Read it now. It's nothing bad or anything."

The words I found in that torn piece of notepaper surprised me. I had been so careful and guarded and defensive for the days of class, and I suddenly I had to put my defenses aside to consider Autumn’s note. She and her friends had verbally, viciously attacked me as a group on numerous occasions. But her note said something else:

John,
I'm sorry we ("we" was scratched out and "I" was replaced) I interrupted you
while you were watching the movie. (Driver's Ed video) It was really rude
of us ("us" was replaced with "me") and I feel badly for
calling your attention away. I feel badly for laughing, and I just wanted
to apologize. I don't like it when people laugh at me, it hurts my
feelings. I'm sure it hurts yours too. I'm sorry, ok?
~Autumn

I read the note and looked up at her. I was surprised. She had a questioning look on her face, and I smiled and told her that I forgive her. A boy named Carl had returned by then from his smoke, and began his verbal assault on me. Autumn reprimanded him sharply, and amazingly, he was quiet! I thanked and commended Autumn for her courage to resist what her friends seemed to think was a game, and sincerely thanked her for the note. Before class ended that day, another girl named Carrie also apologized. Carl was silent for the most part, and when he did speak, he ceased to choose me as a target.

Well, encouraged by Autumn's note, and still wanting to bless the students in some way, I asked Mom & Dad how I could get a message across to the students. I wanted to tell them what Christians are REALLY like. How much fun we have through Home Education. I really didn't know what to do; only that I didn't want to leave them with the impression I had for the first three days of class...totally defensive. Amidst the family conversations, I included these sentiments, and asked for suggestions. A “speech” was definitely out of the question, but Mom suggested that I look up each of their names, and tell them what it meant. "Better yet," she said, "you own a printing business! Why not print them up little name cards!"

So there was my project. I called the teacher at Driver's Ed, and convinced her to provide me with the first names of everyone, and proceeded to look up some names... There were two that took Mom and I longer to research than the others: One was a Spanish name that meant "Little One", and the other was Autumn, which was found to mean Mature.

On the fourth night, I came early and again took a different seat; this time next to the chair that had been occupied by Carl on the previous four evenings. Previous to that evening, a boy named Andrew had sat next to Carl. He seemed as though a “Carl-Wanna-Be”.

Well, with my back to the door, I could feel Carl come in, walk up, and take his seat next to me. The now quieter girls, Autumn and Carrie, took their seats, and greeted me. Carrie sat left of Carl, and Autumn sat to my right.

I heard the door open again as Andrew came in. He wasn't a big fellow; he just seemed to want in the "in-crowd", namely Carl. The poor guy came up behind me and didn’t know what to do. After all, I was in “his” chair. I wasn’t trying to pick a fight; just trying to help them think outside their boxes. After a moment, Andrew tapped me on the shoulder. "Um... I was sitting there last week." I quickly looked up at him and said, "Oh, were you? Let me check." I lifted my notes-page, revealing the floor-plan of the room and who sat where, and ran my finger down the page to the square that designated the seat I was sitting in. "Ah, you're Andrew then. Yes, you were sitting here last week, Andrew!" ...and I continued reviewing my notes.

The poor boy didn't know what to do! -He stood there for a few seconds... then walked twenty feet, to the other side of the room, found a dusty chair, and dragged it next to mine, sitting on the very corner of the table. I silently smiled, and tried to make friendly conversation with Andrew. I complimented him on a drawing he was sketching.

The first two hours of class went by smoothly (compared to previous days for me), and I asked permission of the teacher to pass out the name-cards at break time. She thought it was an excellent idea. Half the students disappeared out the door for their smokes again, and I began to pass out cards to those inside. Everyone inside was VERY grateful, and I quickly hopped outside myself to find some students amidst the puffs of smoke...

Carl, -of all people- really really liked his card. Autumn was thrilled and wanted to know if the tiny leaf we had laminated into her card was real. The others were very surprised and grateful! One young man looked at his card, read his name, and turned it over to see my business card information, printed on the back.

"Oh cooool" he said. "How did you know my birthday??"

That took me by surprise! My first thought was, “Wow; how did Mom possibly come up with the guy's birth date when we were making the cards!?!” ...and then I thought perhaps he had mistaken the numbers in the Bible reference as his birth date...

I was conscious that some of the other kids had begun to try to "hush" him. "What does my business card have to do with your birthday?" I asked, still puzzled. "Pisces, man, Pisces! -This is way cool!" he said as he turned the card around and pointed to my Fish/Cross picture. Still puzzled... I started to figure it out as the other children started to "shush" him. They offered wincing faces of apology for their friend’s error, and tried to tell him that it wasn't what he thought it was. “Pisces” was an astrological fish symbol for the newspaper fortune-telling column.

He realized his error and his jaw dropped. He was obviously embarrased. I laughed. "No, no, astrology will only get you broke.” I explained. “The fish is a reminder of Jesus, because he used fish in so many of his stories." (Driver’s Ed hint: never end a conversation with mention of Jesus if you want to blend with the crowd.)

We all returned inside to continue the last lesson, and friendly farewells were tossed my direction from several of the students as I left. I don't know where those children will end up. Some crowds will be lost forever, some people will sing in Glory. Never blend with the crowd; be the one person that The Potter shaped you to be. His.