English Original
There is a story about a primary school teacher named Mrs. Thompson. On the first day of her 5th-grade class, she told her students she loved them all equally. But this was difficult because of a boy in the front row named Teddy Stoddard.
Mrs. Thompson had observed Teddy the previous year. He didn't play well with others, his clothes were messy, and he often seemed unpleasant. She even took a certain delight in marking his papers with bold red Xs and a failing grade.
At her school, teachers were required to review each child's past records. Mrs. Thompson saved Teddy's file for last. When she finally read it, she was shocked.
His 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 noted: "Teddy is an excellent student, well-liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness."
His third-grade teacher reported: "His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries his best, but his father shows little interest."
His fourth-grade teacher described him as: "withdrawn, showing little interest in school, with few friends, and sometimes sleeping in class."
Mrs. Thompson was filled with shame. Her guilt deepened at Christmas when students brought her beautifully wrapped gifts. Teddy's gift was clumsily wrapped in heavy brown paper from a grocery bag.
She opened it among the other presents. Inside was a rhinestone bracelet with missing stones and a bottle one-quarter full of perfume. Some children laughed, but Mrs. Thompson stopped them. She exclaimed how beautiful the bracelet was, put it on, and dabbed perfume on her wrist.
Teddy stayed after school just long enough to say, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my mom used to."
After the children left, she cried for an hour. That day, she stopped merely teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic. She began to teach children.
Mrs. Thompson paid special attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By year's end, Teddy was one of the smartest children in class.
A year later, she found a note from Teddy under her door, calling her the best teacher he ever had.
Six years later, another note arrived. He had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher.
Four years after that, a letter came saying he would graduate from college with highest honors.
Four more years passed, and another letter arrived. He explained that after his bachelor's degree, he had decided to go further. The letter was signed: Theodore F. Stoddard, M.D. He still called her his best and favorite teacher.
The story continued. That spring, another letter came. Teddy said he was getting married. His father had died, and he wondered if Mrs. Thompson would sit in his wedding in the place reserved for the mother of the groom. She agreed.
At the wedding, Dr. Stoddard hugged Mrs. Thompson and whispered, "Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for making me feel important and showing me I could make a difference."
With tears in her eyes, Mrs. Thompson whispered back, "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."
中文翻译
有一个关于一位名叫汤普森夫人的小学老师的故事。在她五年级班级开学的第一天，她告诉学生们她平等地爱他们所有人。但这很困难，因为前排有一个名叫泰迪·斯托达德的男孩。
汤普森夫人前一年就观察过泰迪。他不合群，衣服邋遢，常常显得不讨人喜欢。她甚至有些乐于用粗大的红叉批改他的试卷，然后打上不及格的分数。
在她的学校，老师需要查阅每个孩子过去的记录。汤普森夫人把泰迪的档案留到了最后。当她终于读到它时，她震惊了。
他一年级的老师写道：“泰迪是个聪明爱笑的孩子。作业整洁，有礼貌……有他在身边很愉快。”
他二年级的老师写道：“泰迪是个优秀的学生，很受同学欢迎，但他很烦恼，因为他的母亲身患绝症。”
他三年级的老师写道：“他母亲的去世对他打击很大。他尽力了，但他的父亲不太关心。”
他四年级的老师形容他：“孤僻，对学校没什么兴趣，朋友很少，有时在课堂上睡觉。”
汤普森夫人充满了羞愧。圣诞节时，她的内疚更深了，学生们送来了包装精美的礼物。泰迪的礼物却用杂货袋的厚重牛皮纸笨拙地包着。
她在其他礼物中打开了它。里面是一个缺了几颗人造钻石的手链，和一瓶只剩四分之一的香水。一些孩子笑了，但汤普森夫人制止了他们。她惊呼手链多么漂亮，戴上它，并在手腕上抹了点香水。
泰迪放学后留了一会儿，只说了一句：“汤普森夫人，今天您闻起来就像我妈妈以前一样。”
孩子们离开后，她哭了一个小时。那天，她不再仅仅是教阅读、写作和算术。她开始教孩子。
汤普森夫人特别关注泰迪。随着她的辅导，他的思维似乎活跃了起来。她越鼓励他，他反应越快。到年底，泰迪成了班上最聪明的孩子之一。
一年后，她在门下发现泰迪的一张纸条，称她是他遇到过的最好的老师。
六年后，又一张纸条到来。他以班级第三名高中毕业，她仍然是最好的老师。
又过了四年，一封信说他将以最高荣誉从大学毕业。
再四年过去，又一封信来了。他解释说，获得学士学位后，他决定更进一步。信的签名是：医学博士西奥多·F·斯托达德。他仍然称她为他最好、最喜爱的老师。
故事还在继续。那年春天，又来了一封信。泰迪说他要结婚了。他的父亲已经去世，他想知道汤普森夫人是否愿意在婚礼上坐在通常为新郎母亲保留的位置上。她同意了。
在婚礼上，斯托达德博士拥抱了汤普森夫人，低声说：“谢谢您相信我。谢谢您让我感到自己重要，并向我展示我可以有所作为。”
汤普森夫人眼含泪水，低声回答：“泰迪，你完全搞错了。是你教会了我，我可以有所作为。在遇到你之前，我并不知道如何教书。”