There is a story many years ago of an elementary teacher.
Her name was Mrs. Thompson. And as she stood in front of her
5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the
children a lie.
Like most teachers, she looked at her students
and said that she loved them all the same. But that was
impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat,
was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard. Mrs. Thompson had watched
Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn't play well
with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that
he constantly needed a bath. And Teddy could be unpleasant. It
got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight
in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and
then putting a big "F" at the top of his papers.
At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to
review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until
last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a
surprise. Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child
with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners...
he is a joy to be around." His second grade teacher wrote,
"Teddy is an excellent student, well
liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother
has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle."
His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death has been
hard on him. He tries to do his best but his father doesn't show much
interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps
aren't taken." Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is
withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He
doesn't have many friends and sometimes sleeps in class."
By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of
herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas
presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except
for Teddy's. His present which was clumsily wrapped in the
heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson
took pains to open it in the middle of the
other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she
found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing,
and a bottle that was one quarter full of perfume. But she
stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty
the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the
perfume on her wrist.
Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that
day just long enough to say, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled
just like my Mom used to." After the children left she cried
for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching
reading, writing, and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach
children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy.
As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more
she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year,
Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and,
despite her lie that she would love all the children the same,
Teddy became one her "teacher's pets."
A year later, she found
a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his
whole life. Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy.
He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his
class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his
whole life. Four years after that, she got another letter,
saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed
in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from
college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson
that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had
in his whole life.
Then four more years passed and yet another
letter came. This time he explained that after he got his
bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further.
The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite
teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer
--the letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, M.D.
The story doesn't end there. You see, there was yet
another letter that spring. Teddy said he'd met this girl and
was going to be married. He explained that his father had died
couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson
might agree to sit in the place at the wedding that was usually
reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course, Mrs. Thompson
did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with
several rhinestones missing. And she made sure she was wearing
the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their
last Christmas together. They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard
whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Thank you Mrs. Thompson for
believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important
and showing me that I could make a difference." Mrs. Thompson,
with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you
have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could
make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."
