Best Story ever!! Must Read.
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withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school.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.)
Warm someone's heart today. . . pass this along. I love this story so very
much, I cry every time I read it. Just try to make a difference in someone's
life today? tomorrow? just 'do it'.
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