ONE OF THE BEST TRUE STORIES I'VE EVER
> HEARD!
>
> 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 "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest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 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 honours. He
> assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and
> favourite 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
> favourite 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."
>
>
> (For you that don't know, Teddy
> Stoddard is the Dr. at Iowa Methodist in Des Moines that has
> the Stoddard Cancer Wing.)
>
>
> Warm someone's heart today. . . pass
> this along. I love this story so very much, I cry every time
> I read it. Just try to make a difference in someone's
> life today? tomorrow? just "do it".
>
>
>
>
> Random acts of kindness, I think they call
> it!

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Talking about music is like dancing about architecture

Wow. Thank you for posting that.
It reminds me we can all make a difference with a little kindness. What we take for granted and leave on the back burner might mean the whole world to someone else. I have experienced that type of thing a couple of times and it always amazes me how little effort it takes to be just what someone needs at that moment in time.
Thanks again!

My oldest and best friend sent me that. He sends me email crap all the time that I usual delete before reading. You know chain letter stuff. But he said to me, I know you always delete these but please read this one. So I get to sit in Hong Kong with tears in my eyes. Asshole!

__________________
Talking about music is like dancing about architecture

The fact that it's fiction doesn't really diminish the story all that much...

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Uggghhh... did anyone ever tell you that some things are better left unsaid? This was one of them,

Well ... I mean, I at least still agreed it was a good story. It's not like I posted definitive evidence of the lack of a flying spaghetti monster.

I'm sure something similar actually has happened. Heck, even Snopes reminds us of all the true stories of a teacher really changing a kid's life....

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