Catch them

I have not been writing for quite a while, but school started last Wednesday and I am ready to start writing again.
I have a student two periods a day who failed most all of his classes last year.  He got in a lot of trouble last year.  I am praying that God will use me to help him learn to respect himself and others.  The first day I talked to my classes about forgiveness and confession.  These are essential to maintaining relationship.  I believe learning is best accomplished through good relationships.  If my students learn that I care about them and they start caring about me ... Well look out!  I will call him Julio, this student who has struggled in the past.  He is very distracted and impulsive.  He blurts out answers without much concern for whether they are correct or not.  I have already got to where he is listening to me correct him about being impulsive and he is improving.  Friday he got some problems correct.  He left with a big smile on his face and he even told me that he liked me.  I wrote the principal a positive referral.  He will call Julio down to his office tomorrow and read the positive things I wrote him about Julio and thank him for his great behavior and effort.  Then he will call his parents and do the same.  This is a great idea our new principal has brought to our school... Catch a student doing good and praise him for it.  I can't wait to find out how it went with Julio and his parents!
I can't change lives.  I tell my students that all the time.  I tell them that I want to change their lives, but that is between them and God.  I am not God.