The Best Teacher Ever

There is a story from many years ago of a primary school teacher.
Her name was Mrs. Thompson. And as she stood in front of her
fifth 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Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and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 paper and tied with
pretty ribbons, 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, and 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 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, MD

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 a 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."

1976 Elizabeth Silance Ballard Unger

Thank you Barbara for sending me this lovely story, Fanny

One Hundred years from now it will not matter what kind of car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had in my bank account, nor what my cloths looked like. But the world may be a little better because I was important in the life of a child.

Thanks for the visit, Fanny

Created By Fanny on June 2, 1999

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