*** Tissue Time ***
You're Still My Favorite Teacher
It began about a teacher who was relishing in giving some kid in her
class a big F in huge red ink. Every thing this kid did in class was
apparently never any better or more deserving than an F, so the
teacher eventually stopped reading his work and would continue just
grading the same, delivering the F. That is all the kid ever earned.
Then one day, she felt a little compelled to look into his past
records which each teacher passes on every year about all their
students. She read early on how he was a good student, and he liked
school. The next year he was making good grades, popular with the
children, and happy in class., and the following year, how he was a
top student, very well liked, and had good behavior...Then in the
following year, the teacher wrote he is doing okay but is sad that his
mother is ill, and the following year, he has a hard time coping with
his mother's death, and in more years, the boy is withdrawn... doesn't
like school, doesn't have friends and is often teased.....
That Christmas the boy gave the teacher a sad little brown (grocery
bag) wrapped present. While all the other children had neat little
paper, and neat little bows, the boy's present was tattered and all
the children laughed. During the day the teacher opened up his
present, and found a rhinestone bracelet with stones missing and a
used bottle of perfume. She put the perfume on and said how she loved
it, and wore the bracelet and told everyone how she loved it
too. She was moved to tears and felt badly for the boy. She also
felt guilty for not having known any of his past. That year, she took
it upon herself to talk to the boy, and to work with him. Soon he
started making an improvement...not only that, he started showing
genuine interest in his work.... eventually joy in his work... before
long he was doing great and had passed his class with great marks.
The next year he wrote to her that he had done well and signed the
letter, "you are still my favorite teacher."
Each year he climbed and climbed. His teacher had long since retired
but every year he would write her and tell her of his achievements.
As the boy grew, he decided to go to college. She was still getting
his letters every few years, and reading, "you are still my favorite
teacher," He went to an accredited college and graduated 3rd with a
bachelor degree. He eventually wrote to her that he was getting his
masters and wanted to be a doctor. Upon graduation he was 1st in his
class, graduating with honors.
He became a doctor, and then one day she received yet another letter
which said, I have decided to marry, will you please sit there with me
where my mother should be? And the teacher said yes. She went to his
ceremony where he married, and she wore an old rhinestone bracelet
with missing stones and some lovely old perfume...
After the ceremony he hugged her and thanked her and said, "you are
still my favorite teacher," And she said, "You know, for so many
years you have had it all wrong. Until I met you, I didn't know how
to teach."
