Her name was Mrs. Thompson. As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children a lie yalan. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same hepsi bir. But that was impossible, because there in the front row,slumped çökmek in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.
Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed farkına varmak that he didn't play well with the other children. His clothes were messy pasaklı and that he constantly devamlı needed a bath. And Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point noktasına gelmek where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight güzel 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 ihtiyacı olmak to review gözden geçirmek each child's past record dosya and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for başına gelmek üzere a surprise.
Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly temizce and has good manners terbiyeli olma...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 canını sıkmak because his mother has a terminal illness ölümcül hastalık and life at home is a struggle mücadele."
His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death had 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Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn içine kapanık and doesn't show much interest in school.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 utanmış 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 beceriksizce wrapped sarmak in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bakkal bag. Mrs.Thompson took pains özen göstermek to open it in the middle of the other presents.
Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone yapay elmas bracelet bilezik with some of the stones missing eksik, and a bottle that was one quarter-full of perfume. But she stifled bastırmak the children's laughter when she exclaimed haykırmak how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist bilek.
Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mother used to."
After the children left she cried for at least hiç olmazsa an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, and writing, and arithmetic.Instead yerine, she began to teach children.
Mrs. Thompson paid particular özel attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive uyanık. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded.By kadar (süre) the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and,despite karşın her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her "teacher's pets öğretmenin gözdesi."
Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough zorlu at times zaman zaman, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with bağlı kalmak it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured temin etmek 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 lisans diploması, he decided to go a little further ileri. 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 doctor of medicine.
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 ayrılmış for the mother of the groom damat.
Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore takmak 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 kucaklamak each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered fısıldamak 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."