Teddy
Submitted by Roger L. Martin Taken
from byu devotional talk by Vohn
J. Featherstone: Marian Wright Edelman
told the story of Jean
Thompson, who was a teacher:
On the first day of school, Jean
Thompson told her
students, "Boys and
girls, I love you all the same." Teachers lie. Little Teddy Stollard was a boy Jean Thompson
did not like. He
slouched in his chair, didn't pay attention, his mouth hung open in a stupor,
his eyes were
always unfocused, his
clothes were mussed, his hair unkempt, and he smelled. He was an unattractive
boy and
Jean Thompson didn't
like him. Teachers have records. And Jean Thompson had Teddy's. First grade:
"Teddy's a good
boy. He shows promise in his work and attitude. But he has a poor home
situation." Second
grade: "Teddy is a
good boy. He does what he is told. But he is too serious. His mother is
terminally ill." Third
grade: "Teddy is
falling behind in his work; he needs help. His mother died this year. His
father shows no
interest." Fourth
grade: "Teddy is in deep waters; he is in need of psychiatric help. He is
totally withdrawn."
Christmas came, and the
boys and girls brought their presents and piled them on her desk. They were all
in
brightly colored paper
except for Teddy's. His was wrapped in brown paper and held together with
scotch tape.
And on it, scribbled in
crayon, were the words, "For Miss Thompson from Teddy." She tore open
the brown
paper and out fell a
rhinestone bracelet with most of the stones missing and a bottle of cheap perfume
that was
almost empty. When the
other boys and girls began to giggle she had enough sense to put some of the
perfume on her wrist,
put on the bracelet, hold her wrist up to the children and say, "Doesn't
it smell lovely? Isn't
the bracelet
pretty?" And taking their cue from the teacher, they all agreed. At the
end of the day, when all the
children had left, Teddy
lingered, came over to her desk and said, "Miss Thompson, all day long,
you smelled
just like my mother. And
her bracelet, that's her bracelet, it looks real nice on you, too. I'm really
glad you like my
presents." And when
he left, she got down on her knees and buried her head in her chair and she
begged God
to forgive her. The next
day when the children came, she was a different teacher. She was a teacher with
a
heart. And she cared for
all the children, but especially those who needed help. Especially
Teddy. She tutored
him and put herself out
for him. By the end of the year, Teddy had caught up with a lot of the children
and was
even ahead of some.
Several years later, Jean Thompson got this note: Dear Miss Thompson: I'm
graduating
and I'm second in my
high school class. I wanted you to be the first to know. Love, Teddy. Four
years later she
got another note: Dear
Miss Thompson: I wanted you to be the first to know. The university has not
been easy,
but I like it. Love, Teddy Stollard. Four years
later, there was another note: Dear Miss Thompson: As of today, I
am Theodore J. Stollard, M.D. How about that? I wanted you to be the first
to know. I'm going to be married in
July. I want you to come
and sit where my mother would have sat, because you're the only family I have.
Dad
died last year. And she
went and she sat where his mother should have sat because she deserved to be
there.