4 Teaching Students





Teaching Students

Jean Thompson stood in front of her sixth-year class and told her students a lie. She told them she cared about them all equally. The lie was that she did not like a student named Brian at all.

Jean had watched Brian the year before and noticed he didn't play well with the other children, that his clothes were unkempt and that he constantly needed a bath.  She would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then marking the F at the top of the paper biggest of all.

At the school where Jean taught, she was required to review each child's records she put Brian's off until last. When she opened his file, she was in for a surprise. Previous teachers had written of him.  "Brian is a bright, inquisitive student with a ready laugh." "He does his work neatly and has good manners...he is a joy to be around." "Brian 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." "Brian continues to work hard but his mother's death has been hard on him. "Brian is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in any of his subjects.  He doesn't have many friends and sometimes sleeps in class. He is tardy and this could become a problem."

By now jean realised the problem, but Christmas was coming fast, and the school was very busy. Many of the students brought her presents, all in beautiful ribbon and bright paper, except for Brian's, which was clumsily wrapped in the heavy brown paper.  

Jean took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the students started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing and a bottle that was one-quarter full of cologne. She exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume behind the other wrist. Brian stayed behind just long enough to say, "Mrs Thompson, today you smelled just like my mum used to."

After the students left, she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching English. Instead, she began to teach students. 



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