This story is very touching. Hope you enjoy it. It will reaffirm the
importance of things that we do.

Jean Thompson stood in front of her fifth-grade class on the very first day of
school in the fall and told the children a lie. Like most teachers, she
looked at her pupils and said that she loved them all the same, that she
would treat them all alike. And that was impossible because there in front of
her, slumped in his seat on the third row, was a little black boy named Teddy
Stoddard.

Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed he didn't play
well with the other children, that his clothes were unkempt and that he
constantly needed a bath. And Teddy was unpleasant. It got to the point
during the first few months that she would delight in marking his papers with
a broad red pen, making bold X's and then marking the F at the top of the
paper biggest of all.

Because Teddy was a sullen little boy, no one else seemed to enjoy him,
either. At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review
each child's records and put Teddy's off until last. When she opened his
file, she was in for a surprise. His first-grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a
bright, inquisitive 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, "Teddy continues to work hard but 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Teddy's fourth-grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much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 sometimes sleeps in
class. He is tardy and could become a problem."

By now Mrs. Thompson realized the problem but Christmas was coming fast. It
was all she could do, with the school play and all, until the day before the
holidays began and she was suddenly forced to focus on Teddy Stoddard.

Her children brought her presents, all in beautiful ribbon and bright paper,
except for Teddy's, which was clumsily wrapped in brown paper of a scissored
grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in he 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 cologne.

She stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the
bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume behind the other
wrist. Teddy Stoddard stayed behind 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, and writing, and
speaking. Instead, she began to teach children. Jean Thompson paid
particular attention to one they all called "Teddy." As she worked with him,
his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he
responded. On days there would be an important test, Mrs. Thompson would
remember that cologne.
By the end of the year he had become one of the smartest children in the class
and...well, he had also become the
"pet" of the teacher who had once vowed to love all of her children exactly
the same.

A year later she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that of
all the teachers he'd had in elementary school, she was his favorite.

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 his
favorite teacher of all time.

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 graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs.
Thompson she was still his favorite teacher.

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 his favorite teacher but
that now his name was a little longer. The letter was signed, "Theodore F.
Stoddard, M.D."

The story doesn't end there. You see, there was yet another letter that
Spring. Teddy said he'd met this girl and was to be married. He explained
that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering...well,
if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit in the pew usually reserved for the mother
of the groom. And guess what, she wore that bracelet, the one with several
rhinestones missing. And I bet on that special day, Jean Thompson
smelled just like... well, just like the
way Teddy remembered his mother smelling on their last Christmas
together.

THE MORAL: You never can tell what type of impact you another's life by your
actions or lack of action. Consider this fact in your venture through life.