Mrs. Thompson stood in front of her 5th grade class on the first day of school and told them a lie. She said she loved them all the same. She did love most of the students more or less the same—except for one. That exception was a boy named Teddy.
Teddy did not play well with others, his clothes were always messy, and he always needed a bath. He was also failing every test and assignment1. It had taken Mrs. Thompson several weeks to review each child’s past records. She had put Teddy’s off until last.
When she finally reviewed his file, she was surprised. Teddy’s first grade teacher had written, “Teddy is a bright child. He does his work neatly and has good manners. He is a joy to be around.” His second grade teacher had written, “Teddy is an excellent student who is well liked by his classmates. He is troubled because of his mother’s terminal illness.” His third grade teacher had written, “His mother’s death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best but his father doesn’t show any interest in him.” Teddy’s fourth grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is with