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It is with great joy and pleasure that I announce to you the publishing of my first book.

As some of you may know, I have been living in Atlanta for the past several years. You may also know that after being in Atlanta for a few years I quit my “big-time” corporate job and started my own business; a graphic art and web design company.

This turned out to be a BIG MISTAKE!

"Be not afraid of going slowly;
be afraid only of stand still."
(Chinese, #37)(page 51)


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Starting my own business wasn't the mistake. Quitting my job without having a STEADY source of income was the mistake! (If you ever decide to start your own business, I would suggest that you have a nice stash of cash in the bank, or, have a steady stream of clients or orders for your product before you decide to go it alone. BUT YOU CAN DO IT!)

I started my company and I was out on my own. It was a long-time dream come true. I was ready to take on the world and do battle with “the competition”.

Well, before I knew it, the reality of having "my own " business set in. Times got HARD! Everyday I was making dozens of calls to prospective clients but the work was just not coming in like I had expected it to.

Everyone knew that the Internet was “going to be the future” but no one I contacted wanted to invest in having their own website created (this was way back yonder in 2000- early 2001). And not many people saw the need of having a visual representation, or logo, for their business.

And what was worse is that a few months after I quit my job, our nation was attacked by terrorists on September 11. (Talk about my bad timing.)

That's when things got really TOUGH!

"The gem cannot be polished without friction,
nor man perfected without trial."
(Chinese, #116)(page 137)

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Most people were not thinking about having artwork or web design done for their business. They were more concerned with whether or not someone was going to bomb their children's school, or attack the local strip mall down the street. It was as if someone had turned off the water hose that spurted out new business.

No one was spending on ANYTHING!

And as for me, things went from bad to worse. My lights got cut off during this time, my car broke down and needed repair, and my meals began to consist of Ramen noodles with fried tomatoes, and powdered milk. (Thank God for Ramen noodles!)

It was about this time that one of my uncles suggested that I look into substitute teaching with a local school system. I had heard someone mention the idea before but I never really gave it that much thought. I found out that by working part-time as a substitute teacher, I could set my own schedule, earn some extra money, and still work on building my business.

Well by that time my meals were starting to consist of just fried tomatoes (seasoned with salt, pepper, and oregano) and powdered milk. The lights were back on but I didn't know for how long (every month those scoundrels at Georgia Power sent a new electric bill).

Things were tight and if I didn't do something fast they were going to get even tighter.

The more I thought about it the more substitute teaching seemed like a good idea. My mother had even suggested that I would be a good candidate for teaching because of my patience and easy going nature. I wasn't too sure about that, but I thought that I could at least give it a try.

Education has always been held in high esteem in my family. And I had real positive memories of my own teachers and school experiences. I also had been praying and I knew that God would lead me to the right opportunities. And deep down inside I felt like this was one.

"God conceals Himself from the mind of man,
but reveals Himself to his heart."
(Unknown, #42)(page 60)


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So that was it. I made up my mind that I would do it!

I researched the surrounding counties and decided that I'd try Fulton county. I went to the main office for Fulton County Schools and filled out an application.

I was accepted and given a date for substitute teacher orientation. The orientation would be given during a one day workshop that would include training, details about expectations, and other information relating to the job.

The workshop was conducted by a retired seasoned veteran of the educational system, Dr. Lynch, and two members from Substitute Services from the Fulton County School system, Linda Coffey and Nancy O'Barr.

The room was filled with enthusiastic but anxiously hesitant people that were ready to march into classrooms and serve students with warm-hearted vigor. The workshop was part motivation, part information, and part illumination.

Near the close of the workshop we were each given a sheet of paper that had a list of classes and grade levels that we would be willing to work with. The sheet had areas such as Reading, Social Studies, Band, Language Arts, Gifted, Elementary, Middle Grades, High School, and a whole lot of others.

The possibilities seemed to offer unknown challenges and adventures. I chose several subjects that I thought I could be of best service to the students. And I chose all three grade levels: Elementary, Middle, and High schools.

I turned my sheet in, said good bye to the facilitators, and then left to go back home.

"Faith is the bird that sings when the dawn is still dark."
(Tagore, # 33)(paage 48)


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The workshop happened during the Christmas holiday break or sometime close to it. So it would be about two weeks before I actually got my first official classroom assignment.

I waited with anticipation not really knowing what to expect. “Would the kids like me?”, “Would I like them?”, “Would I be in the classrooms alone or would I have an assistant?” These were all questions that were racing through my head while I “waited for the bell”.

Well, before I knew it the holidays were over and students were getting ready to go back to school.

The moment of truth was drawing closer.

I can remember it almost like it was yesterday! It was about two days after school had started back and my telephone rang. I didn't recognize the number on the caller I.D. screen and I knew that it must be CASE, the automated phone system that would be alerting me to available classroom assignments.

I hesitated for a moment, not knowing if I really wanted to answer the call. Doubts began to rush through my mind again. But something inside of me seemed to push me to answer it.

“Hello?”

There was a short pause and then a recorded voice came through the line. A voice that I would hear dozens and dozens more times in the upcoming years.

“This is Fulton County CASE, the Central Assignment for Substitute Employees.” The voice went on to ask me for my identification number and PIN.

After I entered my information into the phone the voice then gave a description of the assignment that I was being offered to take.

My very first assignment, if I chose to take it, would be a kindergarten class at Harriet Tubman Elementary school. How fitting. I knew that God had been watching over me throughout this whole process and I believe that He knew exactly what I needed to introduce me to the world of teaching.

"Small children give you headache;
big children give you heartache."
(Russian, #10)(page 20)


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I accepted the assignment for the next day and feverishly began to prepare myself. I got my clothes ready, my “Sub Pack”* ready, and my lunch for the day ready. I was set.

At least almost. I also had to find out what buses would take me by the school. My car was still “broke” and so was I. I would need to ride the bus until I was able to get my car back on the road.

That night I hardly slept a wink. My mind was racing a 'mile-a-minute' with more questions. “What would the day hold?”, “How would the students act?”, and “What if I overslept and missed the bus?”

Before I realized it I had dozed off. But just as suddenly the alarm clock began to ring letting me know that it was time to get up and get ready for school. My first day at school!

I got up and had a short morning devotional which consisted of reading from the Bible, prayer, and another short reading. I then got dressed, ate a small breakfast, and was out the door.

It turned out that I would need to catch a bus, the “train” (MARTA), and another bus to get to the school. This was fine with me because I wouldn't have to fight the Atlanta traffic and I could relax and read on the trip there and back. (It's been found that Atlantans have one of the longest commutes to work in the United States.)

I arrived at the school right on time. As I walked through the halls I was met with bright smiles and warm hellos. I must have looked lost because someone approached me and asked if I was looking for the front office. They volunteered to show me and I was soon at the front desk signing in.

(I would later come to learn that it wasn't just that I looked lost, but that most teachers know when other teachers will be out for the day. And so if they see a new face they know that in most cases it's either a substitute teacher coming for an assignment, or a parent of one of the students.)

After I signed in I was shown to the classroom and given the teacher's lesson plans for the day.

The students had not yet started coming into the classroom and so I still had a little time to mentally prepare myself for the job-at-hand. A minute or so later the teacher's assistant came into the room and introduced herself. She told me that she would be back and forth between classrooms and if I needed anything I could just let her know.

I thought to myself that I needed something alright. I needed her to stay in the classroom with me just in case there was some type of "uprising"!

It was right about this time that one-by-one the students began to come into the room. I said a short prayer to myself asking God for wisdom and then greeted each student with a big smile and a cheery “Good morning”.

Most of the students followed the same routine. They would enter the classroom stopping just inside the door, offer a hesitant “Good morning”, and then look around wide-eyed for their teacher. Then they would come in, put up their books and coats, sit down, and immediately lock their eyes on me.

You could almost hear their thoughts. “Who is this man?...And why is he here?...And where is my teacher?...And why is he looking at me like that?”

"Love is like a baby: it needs to be treated tenderly."
(Zaire, #65)(page 84)


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Most of the students were now seated at their tables and the classroom was abuzz with whispering and speculation.

Finally, one of the students stood up and walked up to the front of the class where the assistant and I were standing. I took it that this was the class “spokesperson”. As he walked up to the front the room got so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. The only sounds coming from the room was the occasional giggle or “shhhhhhhh” that originated from the small sea of faces.

My heart started pounding. This would be my first “showdown”.

I watched as this “little person” that barely reached my waist came up to me with all boldness and intensity of purpose, look me directly in the eye, and then while trying to hold back a "snaggatooth" smile asked the most profound question that his innocent mind had probably ever pondered.

“Are you our NEW teacher?”, he asked me, with his eyes so wide that they looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets.

The innocence and sincerity of the question almost brought tears to my eyes. I looked at “my” assistant, as she gave me an encouraging nod, and then I stooped down to eye-level with the trusting eyes that had asked me the question. I knew that even though the question had come from only one mouth, the answer was being anticipated by dozens of little ears.

“No. I'm not your NEW teacher. I'm just your teacher for TODAY”, I said.

“Oh”, he replied.

And with that settled the “spokesperson” turned around and walked contentedly back to his seat.

I was then officially introduced to the class and once again the class was abuzz. Questions and commentary started coming from everywhere. “Will you take us out to recess?”, “Are you nice?”, “Do you have any children?”, “Can I be your helper for the day?”, “No, I want to be his helper!”, “You can't be the helper you got in trouble yesterday!”, “So what!!!! He can pick anybody he wants to pick!”

“EXCUSE ME!”, I said in a loud and booming "teacherly" voice.

The room immediately got quiet again. The whole class was now looking up and watching me intensely with a mixture of wonder and fear.

“Now I KNOW that your teacher doesn't just let everyone speak at one time. Now does she?”, I asked while allowing my voice to take on a more gentler tone.

“Nooooooooo”, came back the singsong chorus from the children.

“And I KNOW that everyone knows that they're suppose to raise their hand and wait for permission to speak. Right?”, I asked.

“Yeeeeeeeeess”, the children said in an off-key unison.

“Alright”, I began. “We're going to have a good day today. But, I need everyone to remember how we're suppose to act in the classroom, do your best work, and then maybe we can go outside for recess.” And then for good measure I added, “But only if you're good!”

Excitement broke out once again as the thought of recess flowed through the children's minds.

“He IS nice! He IS nice!”, I heard echo around the room.

But this time instead of trying to curb their enthusiasm, I secretly joined in.

"Dance as if no one's watching, sing as if no ones's listening,
and live everyday as if it were your last."
(Irish, #46)(page 66)


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That day was the beginning of a new learning experience for me. An experience that would not just be about teaching, or about education, or just about students. But an experience that was a mixture of the three. An experience that would far exceed the sum of its parts.

It was a new type of awareness about the power of faith. A sudden enlightenment about the value and potential of every student. A new awe and appreciation for the worth of teachers.

That experience began an awakening in me to the fact that everyone can make a difference in this world if they are only willing to serve others and give of themselves unselfishly.

And that's what most teachers do.

"The best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book."
(Unknown, #145)(page155)


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And it's for them that I wrote this book, “When Nobody Brings You An Apple”.

My first day in the classroom turned out to be a good one. And I have since gone on to teach many other classes. And with each new experience my appreciation for teachers has deepened and grown fonder.

Teachers are truly the hidden gems of our society.

I say “hidden” gems because being a teacher is a very unique experience. Teachers literally have a part in shaping the future. Their experience is one similar to that of a planter or farmer. They plant seeds in the minds of students and then must wait to see what fruit their labors will bring.

Teachers often work with no recognition of their efforts until something goes wrong. And then when something does go wrong they receive a disproportionate amount of the blame.

But they still stay the course day-in and day-out.

They plant good seed and continue to have faith in the future harvest.

That's the purpose of this book. To plant positive seeds in the minds of teachers and others that work with, and care for children.

Seeds that will encourage them to continue to give of themselves even though they may not always immediately see the results of their efforts.

Seeds that will inspire teachers to continue to have faith in the possibilities of the future.

Seeds that will bring forth a positive harvest in their minds “when nobody brings them an apple”.

This book is to be used as a soothing balm on those days that seem like nothing is going right, and nobody seems to care. For those days when it seems like every student is on their "worst" behavior and still need the BEST from you.

This book is filled with words of wisdom that have been passed through the hands of time. Words that have brought encouragement and inspiration to untold numbers.

"When Nobody Brings You An Apple" is for those days...
when nobody brings you an apple!

Sincerely Yours,
Joseph "Mr. B" Butts

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*Sub Pack: A small supply of pencils, crayons, worksheets, and other classroom items that you might need throughout a regular day in the classroom. The contents are often dictated by the grade level that you are assigned.

What Does The Title of the Book Mean?

A long time ago, students use to bring apples to school and give to their teachers as way of showing their appreciation for their teacher. This book is a way of showing appreciation for the wonderful work that our teachers do. It's a modern day "apple" of appreciation.