WAS SHE A TEACHER OR MOTHER
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wrote, “Teddy is withdrawn and doesn’t show much interest in school.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, 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, 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 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.”
