2016 True Education Symposium

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Pattern Education

Jeanie Mabley

The School of Christ

We want so much to be in that new Jerusalem with you.

So just use us as we train our children and as we learn in Your school together with our children so that we can finish the work.

Thank You, Father, for Your promise of the Holy Spirit right now, I pray in Jesus' name, amen.

I've been waiting all week to read this story.

Teddy's letter came today, and now that I've read it, I will place it in my cedar chest with the other things that are important to my life.

I wanted you to be the first to know, he said.

I smiled as I read the words he had written, and my heart smiled with a pride that I had no right to feel.

You see, I had not seen Teddy Stalwart since he was a student in my fifth grade class 15 years ago.

It was early in my teaching career, and I had only been teaching for 2 years, from the first day he stepped into my classroom, I disliked Teddy.

Now, teachers, although everyone knows, are not supposed to have favorites in a class, but most especially are, and Most especially are they not to show dislike for a child, any child.

Nevertheless, every year there are 1 or 2 children that 1 cannot help but be attached to, for teachers are human, And it is human nature to like bright, pretty, intelligent people, whether they are 10 years old or 25.

And sometimes, unfortunately, There will be 1 or 2 students to whom the teacher just can't seem to relate.

I had thought of myself quite capable of handling my personal feelings along that line until Teddy walked into my life.

There wasn't a child I particularly liked that year, but Teddy was most assuredly the 1 I disliked.

He was dirty, not just occasionally, all the time.

His hair hung low over his ears, and he actually had to hold it out of his eyes as he wrote papers in class.

And this was before it was fashionable to do so.

Today, he had a peculiar odor about him which I could never identify.

His physical faults were many, and his intellect left a lot to be desired.

By the end of the first week, I knew he was hopelessly behind the others.

And not only was he behind, He was just plain slow.

I began to withdraw from him immediately.

Any teacher will tell you that it's more of a pleasure to teach a bright child.

It is definitely more rewarding for one's ego.

But Any teacher worth her credentials can channel work to the bright child, keeping him challenged and learning, while she puts her major effort on the slower ones.

In fact, I concentrated on my best students and let others follow along as best they could.

Ashamed as I am to admit it, I took perverse pleasure in using my red pen.

And each time I came to Teddy's paper, the cross marks, and there were many, were always a little larger and a little redder than necessary.

Poor work, I would write with a flourish.

While I did not actually ridicule the boy, my attitude was obviously quite apparent to the class, for he quickly became the class goat, the outcast, the unlovable, and the unloved.

He knew I didn't like him, but he didn't know why.

Nor did I know, then or now, why I felt such an intense dislike for him.

All I know is that he was a little boy no 1 cared about, and I made no effort on his behalf.

The days rolled by, we made it through the fall festival and the Thanksgiving holidays, and I continued marking happily with my red pen.

As the Christmas holidays approached, I knew that Teddy would never catch up in time.

To be promoted to the sixth grade level, he would be a repeater.

To justify myself, I went to his cumulative file from time to time.

He had very low grades for the first 4 years, but no grade failure.

I closed my mind to the personal remarks, which said, Teddy shows promise by work and attitude, but has a poor home situation.

Second grade, it said, Teddy could do better.

Teddy's a pleasant boy, helpful, but too serious.

Mother passed away at the end of the year, fourth grade.

Well, they had passed him 4 times, but he was certainly to repeat, fifth grade.

And then the last day before the holiday arrived, our little tree on the reading table was full of paper and popcorn chains.

Many gifts were heaped underneath, waiting for the big moment.

Teachers always get several gifts at Christmas, but mine that year seemed bigger and more elaborate than ever.

There was not a student who had not brought me 1.

Each unwrapping brought squeals of delight, and The proud giver would receive effusive thank yous.

In fact, it was in the middle of the pile.

Its wrapping was a brown paper bag, and he had colored Christmas trees and red bells all over it.

For Miss Thompson from Teddy, it read, the group was completely silent.

And for the first time, I felt conspicuous, embarrassed because they all stood watching me unwrap his gift.

As I removed the last bit of masking tape, 2 items fell on my desk.

A gaudy rhinestone bracelet with several stones missing, and a little bottle of dime store cologne half empty.

Isn't this lovely I asked, placing a bracelet on my wrist.

Teddy, would you help me fasten it, please?" He smiled shyly as he fixed the clasp, and I held up my wrist for all of them to admire.

There were a few hesitant ohs and ahs, but as I dabbed the cologne behind my ears, all the little girls lined up for a dab behind their ears.

I continued to open gifts until I reached the bottom of the pile.

We ate our refreshments and the bell rang.

The children filed out with shouts of, See you next year and Merry Christmas.

When they all had left, he walked up to me, clutching his gift and books to his chest.

I locked the door, sat down at my desk, and wept, resolving to make up to Teddy what I had deliberately deprived him of, a teacher who loved.

I stayed every afternoon with Teddy from the end of Christmas holidays until the last day of school.

Sometimes he worked alone while I drew up lesson plans or graded papers.

Slowly but surely, he caught up with the rest of the class.

In fact, his final averages were among the highest in the class.

And although I knew he would be moving out of the state when school was out.

Teddy had reached a level that would stand him in good stead the following year, no matter where he went.

He had enjoyed a measure of success, And as we were taught in our teacher training courses, success builds success.

I did not hear from Teddy until 7 years later when his first letter appeared in my bail box.

Back to Menu

The School of Christ

Transcript

Parent Conference

Sponsor

Recorded

Related

Parenting 101

3. The Well-Disciplined Child

1h 7m

A Sacred Trust: Discipline

49m

Why Not

49m

Teach Them Diligently

Teach Them Diligently - Part 3: Each Thought Counts

1h 3m

Children's Ministries

Sabbath School and the Home

1h 16m

After Hours

Keys to an Abundant Home: Our Journey

1h 2m

Parenting in Today's Culture

Reaching the Heart

59m

2-Applying the Faith

Connected Relationships In a Disconnecting World

1h 16m

Parenting ~ Heart to Heart

Parenting with a Purpose

1h

AMEN 2010 Plenary Sessions

Wholeness with Your Family

59m

Sound Doctrine