Teachers
ONE OF THE BEST TRUE STORIES I'VE EVER
> HEARD!
>
> As she stood in front of her 5th grade
> class on the very first day of school, she told the children
> an untruth. Like most teachers, she looked at her students
> and said that she loved them all the same. However, 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 did not play well with the other
> children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly
> needed a bath. In addition, 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 "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest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 he 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 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 of her
> "teacher's pets.."
>
>
>
> A year later, she found a note under her
> door, from Teddy, telling her that she was 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 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 honours. He
> assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and
> favourite teacher he had 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
> favourite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little
> longer.... The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.
>
> The story does not end there. You see,
> there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he had
> met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that
> his father had died a couple of years ago and he was
> wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding
> in the place 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. Moreover, 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."
>
>
> (For you that don't know, Teddy
> Stoddard is the Dr. at Iowa Methodist in Des Moines that has
> the Stoddard Cancer Wing.)
It doesn't fit the situation. But I like the story.
>
>
>
>
(Remember that there is time difference between NY & Sweden but a PM will come.)
