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Great  Story Out of Iowa
    
  Sent in by Rocky Blankenship...Tulsa, Ok  January 20th....

ONE  OF THE BEST 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Teddy's fourth grade  teacher wrote, 'Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show  much interest in school.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 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.'


(For  you that don't know, Teddy Stoddard is the Dr at Iowa  Methodist in Des Moines that has the Stoddard Cancer  Wing.)
Random acts of kindness, I think they call it!