One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the
other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a
space between each name.
Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say
about each of their classmates and write it down.
It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment,
and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.
That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student
on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had
said about that individual.
On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long,
the entire class was smiling. 'Really?' she heard whispered. 'I
never knew that I meant anything to anyone!' and, 'I didn't know
others liked me so much,' were most of the comments.
No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never
knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents,
but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose.
The students were happy with themselves and one another.
That group of students moved on.
Several years later, one of the students was killed in VietNam
and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student.
She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before.
He looked so handsome, so mature.
The church was packed with his friends. One by one those
who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher
was the last one to bless the coffin
As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pall
bearer came up to her. 'Were you Mark's math teacher?'
he asked. She nodded: 'yes.' Then he said: 'Mark talked
about you a lot.'
After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went
together to a luncheon..... Mark's mother and father were
there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher.
'We want to show you something,' his father said, taking
a wallet out of his pocket 'They found this on Mark when
he was killed. We thought you might recognize it.'
Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces
of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded
and refolded many times....... The teacher knew without
looking that the papers were the ones on which she had
listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had
said about him.
'Thank you so much for doing that,' Mark's mother said.
'As you can see, Mark treasured it.'
All of Mark's former classmates started to gather around.
Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, 'I still have my
list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home.'
Chuck's wife said, 'Chuck asked me to put his in our
wedding album..'
'I have mine too,' Marilyn said. 'It's in my diary'
Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocket
book, took out her wallet and showed her worn and
frazzled list to the group. 'I carry this with me at all
times,' Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she
continued: 'I think we all saved our lists'
That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She
cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never
see him again.
The density of people in society is so thick that we for
get that life will end one day. And we don't know when
that one day will be.
So please, tell the people you love and care for, that
they are special and important... Tell them, before it
is too late.
other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a
space between each name.
Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say
about each of their classmates and write it down.
It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment,
and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.
That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student
on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had
said about that individual.
On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long,
the entire class was smiling. 'Really?' she heard whispered. 'I
never knew that I meant anything to anyone!' and, 'I didn't know
others liked me so much,' were most of the comments.
No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never
knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents,
but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose.
The students were happy with themselves and one another.
That group of students moved on.
Several years later, one of the students was killed in VietNam
and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student.
She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before.
He looked so handsome, so mature.
The church was packed with his friends. One by one those
who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher
was the last one to bless the coffin
As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pall
bearer came up to her. 'Were you Mark's math teacher?'
he asked. She nodded: 'yes.' Then he said: 'Mark talked
about you a lot.'
After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went
together to a luncheon..... Mark's mother and father were
there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher.
'We want to show you something,' his father said, taking
a wallet out of his pocket 'They found this on Mark when
he was killed. We thought you might recognize it.'
Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces
of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded
and refolded many times....... The teacher knew without
looking that the papers were the ones on which she had
listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had
said about him.
'Thank you so much for doing that,' Mark's mother said.
'As you can see, Mark treasured it.'
All of Mark's former classmates started to gather around.
Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, 'I still have my
list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home.'
Chuck's wife said, 'Chuck asked me to put his in our
wedding album..'
'I have mine too,' Marilyn said. 'It's in my diary'
Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocket
book, took out her wallet and showed her worn and
frazzled list to the group. 'I carry this with me at all
times,' Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she
continued: 'I think we all saved our lists'
That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She
cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never
see him again.
The density of people in society is so thick that we for
get that life will end one day. And we don't know when
that one day will be.
So please, tell the people you love and care for, that
they are special and important... Tell them, before it
is too late.
