The Perfume
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withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in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 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 his whole
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."
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?