Posted by Phil on April 19, 1999 at 07:58:17:
Jean Thompson stood in front of her fifth-grade class on the
very first day of school in the fall and told the children a lie.
Like most teachers, she looked at her pupils and said that she loved
them all the same, that she would treat them all alike.
And that was impossible because there in front of her, slumped
in his seat in the third row, was a little boy named Teddy
Stoddard. Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and
noticed he didn't play well with the other children, that his
clothes were unkempt and that he constantly needed a bath. And
Teddy was unpleasant. It got to the point during the first few
months that she would actually take delight in marking his
papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then marking the F at
the top of the paper biggest of all.
Because Teddy was a sullen little boy, no one else seemed to
enjoy him, either.
At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to
review each child's records and put Teddy's off until last.
When she opened his file, she was in for a surprise. His first-grade
teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright, inquisitive 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-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 wrote, "Teddy continues to work hard but 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Teddy's fourth-grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and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. He is tardy and could become a
problem."
By now Mrs. Thompson realized the problem, but Christmas was
coming fast. It was all she could do, with the school play and
all, until the day before the holidays began and she was suddenly
forced to focus on Teddy Stoddard. Her children brought her
presents, all in beautiful ribbon and bright paper, except for Teddy's,
=
which was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper of a scissored =
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 cologne. She stifled the
children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was,
putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume behind the other wrist.
Teddy Stoddard stayed behind 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 speaking. =
Instead, she began to teach children. Jean Thompson paid particular
attention to one they all called "Teddy." As she worked with him,
his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the
faster he responded. On days there would be an important test,
Mrs.Thompson would remember that cologne. By the end of the year he
had become one of the smartest children in the class and...
well, he had also become the "pet" of the teacher who had once vowed
to love all of her children exactly the same. A year later she
found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that of all the
teachers he'd had in elementary school, she was his favorite.
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 his favorite teacher of all time. 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 graduate from college with the highest of honors. He
assured Mrs. Thompson she was still his favorite teacher.
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
his favorite teacher but that 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 to be
married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago
and
he was wondering...well, if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit in
the pew usually reserved for the mother of the groom. And guess
what, she wore that bracelet, the one with several Rhine stones
missing.
And I bet on that special day, Jean Thompson smelled just
like...well, just like the way Teddy remembered his mother smelling on
their last Christmas together.
THE MORAL: You never can tell what type of impact you may make
on another's life by your actions or lack of action. Consider this
fact in your venture through life. Time is of little essence,
when Life continues on, take Time to remember the little things the
little things mean the most and Life falls into place.
Yesterday is History
Tomorrow is a Mystery
Today is a Gift
That's why they call it the PRESENT