"You make me want to be a better man (or woman)"

(This title is a movie quote from "As Good As It Gets", one of my favorite movies. A man suffering with serious OCD meets a woman for whom he tries to get his sickness under control. This quote makes the movie, and is good advice for us all!)

Shared by a friend:

As Mrs. Thompson 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Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy  is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school.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. 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 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 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 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.' 

We are all teachers though not always in a classroom. Everything we say and everything we do teaches others about ourselves. I hope to be a good teacher, too.