Heartwarming story

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Teddy’s fourth grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is withdrawn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 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.”