This modern day parable has been circulating for a
number of years now via the Internet. It is purely an act of fiction penned by Elizabeth Silance Ballard in 1974 and printed that
year in HomeLife magazine. It
still stands as a great modern day parable with one major teaching emphasis: by
practicing an act of kindness lives can be changed. Enjoy.
As she stood in front of
her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children an
untruth. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved
them all the same. However, 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 did not play well with the other
children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. In
addition, 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teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in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 he 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, 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
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 had 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 does not end
there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he had 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 at
the wedding in the place 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. Moreover, 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."
