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Thu 16 Dec, 2004 08:21 am
I just received this in an e-mail from my ex wife. Thought it worth sharing. Girls get out your hankies. Men you can too just don't tell anyone.
This one is worth reading.
"Heart Test"
As she stood in front of her the 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 Toward.
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 puts 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 the 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Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest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 Toward 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. Toward, 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. Toward 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 those of you who don't know, Teddy Toward is the Dr. at Iowa Methodist in Des
Moines that has the Toward 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? "Believe in Angels, then return the favor"
"I believe that friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble
remembering how to fly."
(If I were to tell you this were an urban legend, would you want to know?) (Still a nice story.)
[size=7]http://www.snopes.com/glurge/teddy.htm[/size]
Just as I was just about to cry the bloomin phone went (Im at work and I had to answer it)my voice cracked a tad,think I got away with it tho.
Gorgeous lovely fab story!!!!!!Especially the bit about the teacher smelling of his mum.
It would make me very sad to think that we would have to make up urban legends like that.
Well, sounds like it was a fiction story that was published, and then somehow mutated into being "true."
whatever the origin, it still is a nice story with a good heart.
Thanks, Bob. Yes, whatever the origin, it was delightful, and I'm certain that there are real stories out there that are comparable to this one.
Have a couple of my own.
I will, Soz as soon as I get stuff done here.
As an avowed skeptic who views cheap sentiment with a jaundiced eye, I thought to Google up Iowa Methodist in Des Moines.
There's no Toward Wing, nor any Dr. Toward on staff.
It was all a little fantasy, like "My Pretty Pony"... calculated to appeal to the sort of individuals who would be captivated by "Strawberry Shortcakes" and "Care Bears".
I'm surprised the writer neglected to include how the teacher's ministrations were prompted by the little pink Guardian Angel perched on her shoulder...
(pssst, Magus, look at the tiny font in my first post here -- use "quote" if you can't see it.)
soze... I see nothing wrong with doing my own legwork.
Hi Magus:
Thanks for the legwork. Doesn't bother me a bit. I like a good story true or not. I'm not naive and the possibility that it wasn't true entered my so called mind. I decided not to do the legwork. Just wanted to place before the glancing eye a well written tale.
Oh, nothing wrong with it, just thought you were presenting it as new info, Magus. Sorry if that's not how it was meant.
Well written tale indeed.
Her name was Sherri, and her brother died of leukemia. I had her in regular English class, Humanities, and creative writing. She was bright and motivated and had a very difficult time throughout her period of mourning. She and I worked well together and although her first love was science, she became a good composer with endless curiosity. No, she didn't say, Ms. Letty, you have made a difference in my life and you were the best teacher that I had. <smile> but she went on to become a doctor and I feel, that in some small way, I played a part in her accomplishments, as did other teachers.
Her name was Lynette, and she was not popular with her peers. She had a pronounced stutter and was a member of a minority group and had no known father. She called me Mia, because that meant mother in Vulcan. I literally dragged her through some horrible moments, but she graduated with honors and later became a respiratory therapist. She returned to the school one time, and took me for a quick ride in her new car. Nothing very dramatic about this incident, but I feel that young woman was one of the reasons that I don't regret having been a teacher.
It's the small moments like this, that make the profession what it should be.
Too bad we need people like magus and soz to keep us honest...but a good reminder to the teacher who is callous.