Fritz,
If a "heartwarming" internet story like this sounds too sappy to be true
then it probably is. I quick little fact check on a site like Snopes or
truthorfiction would have told you that it is a work of fiction published
in the 1970's and was never presented as fact.
Share it with your friends if you like but please not to this list.
Marvin Miller
On Mon, Aug 3, 2015 at 2:07 PM, Fritz Holt via Texascavers <
texascavers@texascavers.com> wrote:
> Definitely not caving related, BUT, even better, it's about life and love.
> You won't be sorry you read this. I confess, before I had finished I was
> welling up and had tears in my eyes and bet you will also.
> Fritz Holt
> fritz...@gmail.com
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> *From:* June Levy
> *Date:* August 3, 2015 at 8:35:18 AM CDT
> *To:* Fran Bruce , Vicki Thweatt ,
> Fritz Holt , Charles Miller
> *Subject:* *Fwd: WONDERFUL STORY...*
>
>
>
> *Subject:* *Fwd: WONDERFUL STORY*
>
>
> WONDERFUL STORY Please read
> It is a true story.
> ONE OF THE BEST STORIES I'VE EVER HEARD!
> 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 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, 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 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 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
