The Best Teacher Ever

-- Author Unknown

There is a story from many years ago of a primary school teacher. Her name was Mrs. Thompson. And as she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children a lie. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same.

But 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 didn't play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. And, 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Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school.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 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 paper and tied with pretty ribbons, except for Teddy's. His present which 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, and 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 still 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 his whole 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 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 letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer - the letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.

The story doesn't end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he'd met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit in the place at the wedding that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course Mrs. Thompson did.

And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. And she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together. They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference."

Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."

Virtues of Ramadhan

"… whoever fasts during Ramadan out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah’s rewards, then all his past sins will be forgiven."

[Sahih Al-Bukhari]

Fasting has been prescribed upon us Muslims so we may become PIOUS - this is our aim in Ramadhan and we must strive hard to attain this during this month. Insya'Allah we need to work hard on ourselves to become better believing Muslims by keeping ourselves busy in the remembrance of Allah, by fulfilling our obligations followed up by many good voluntary deeds and staying away from all the haraam actions and things that are displeasing to Allah. May Allah increase us in goodness during this month, and be of those who come out of Ramadhan as winners, having strengthened in our faith, become better righteous Muslims, given up bad habits we may have adapted during the year and have the ultimate reward of having our past sins forgiven and to be written as from the people of Jannah..may we not be amongst those who come out of Ramadhan as losers only having felt thirst and hunger, and not gained any benefit from this blessed month...

What Went Wrong...

Jon & Kate Plus 8 is a reality television show about the Gosselin family, consisting of parents Jon and Kate and their eight children: a set of twins and sextuplets. The show follows the family through their daily lives, focusing on the challenges of raising multiple children. It was fun, lighthearted look watching these parents struggling in raising their kids.

But what used to be an enjoyable lil’ reality show develop into some twisted money making machine for Jon and Kate to use for their own gain. At first, I saw the family in a humble home with Jon working and Kate staying home to take care of the kids.

But in time, Jon no longer works as the family is supported by their numerous speaking engagements, sponsorships, etc. Jon and Kate’s attitude has changed to where they give off this sense of privilege. In actual fact they’ve used their kids to gain a “celebrity type” lifestyle which includes from clothes, meals, trips, vacations, child care to even Jon’s hair transplant!! What’s messed up is that Jon and Kate have no qualms about receiving these at all. It’s pretty sad. And it seems that the lil’ kids are paying the price for all of this.

Are You a Slave of People’s Opinion and Approval?

By Daxx Bondoc (http://www.inspirationalblogs.com/)

Do you constantly trying to prove to others that you are “good enough?”

We must admit that most of our actions are motivated to win the acceptance and admiration of our peers. We always seem to get a high when we are able to attain these.

Most of the time, it is our personal insecurities that cause this “I need to be good enough for you” mentality. One psychologist said that to even entertain this “I need to be good enough” debate in your head is already a choice to go to the path of unhappiness. For you will never be good enough in your mind. You will always find something that you need to be “good enough” to please others.

To live in the mercy of other’s approval and acceptance is like building your life on shifting sands. People’s opinions are fickle. They love you today and then hate you tomorrow. We can see this with movie stars and music artist. Here today and gone tomorrow. Putting the direction of your life at other’s hands is to miss out your life.

We need to learn to accept ourselves. Even those things we do not like in ourselves. Accepting does not mean liking what you see, but accepting that they are real. If you have a bad temper, you do not need to like your bad temper. But you must accept that you have one!

Only when we accept ourselves for who we really are can we start to grow. We must accept our strengths and also our weakness, the good and the bad in us. Only when we can look at ourselves objectively can we start changing those aspects of lives that are in need of improvements.

We must first win the approval of ourselves. I approve of me! Yes I approve of me because God approves of me. If God did not approved, I would not even be here.

If you want to win the approval of others, win the approval of the God first. God approves of your creation, but do you think He approves on how you are living your life right now?
But why do we want God’s approval on our lives?

Because we want joy!

Period.

Quotes from One Tree Hill

One Tree Hill features quotes at the beginning of each episode. They are spoken most of the time by Lucas (Chad Michael Murray).

Some of the One Tree Hill quotes are classics from literature. Here are some favourite One Tree Hill quotes of mine.

Original One Tree Hill quote from the very first episode: Spoken by Lucas

"There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. But omitted, and the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat, and we must take the current when it serves- or lose the ventures before us."

-William Shakespeare, from Julius Caesar

One Tree Hill quote from the second episode: Spoken by Lucas

"Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark in the hopeless swaps of the not quite, the not yet, and the not at all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserved and have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won. It exists. It is real. It is possible. It's yours."

-Ayn Rand, from Atlas Shrugged

One Tree Hill quote from third episode: Spoken by Lucas

"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else, means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight. And never stop fighting."

-e.e. cummings

One Tree Hill quote from fourth episode: Spoken by Lucas

"It seems to me that if you or I must choose between two courses of thought or action, we should remember our dying and try so to live that our death brings no pleasure on the world."

-John Steinbeck

One Tree Hill quote from third episode of second season: Spoken by Lucas

"Many people die with their music still in them. Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out."

-Oliver Wendell Holmes

One Tree Hill quote from fifth episode of season two: Spoken by Lucas

"No man for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true."

-Nathaniel Hawthorne

Bad Moods At Work

The ability to be positive is an essential leadership skill and responsibility. So take a deep breath and put on a happy face. Here's how.

Having a positive attitude, even striving for cheerful, in the workplace isn't always easy. Pat Heim recalls a conference room confrontation between two men that had the executives shouting over each other and pounding their fists on the table. Heim was one of the uncomfortable bystanders and, for her, it was an object lesson in how moods matter at work.

That kind of outburst is bad form for any professional, but it's worth noting up front that overly emotional or moody behavior is often judged more harshly when it comes from a woman, says Heim, CEO of the Heim Group, a consulting firm that specializes in gender differences in the workplace, and author of Hardball for Women: Winning at the Game of Business.

In Depth: Mind Over Mood
"A woman can be perceived as Miss Congeniality for six or seven months, but she does that one bitchy thing and that label will stay with her for a year or two," agrees Courtney Lynch, co-founder of Lead Star, a leadership consulting group out of Fairfax, Va.

While the implications of an angry outburst--or even a sarcastic eye roll--can have a long-lasting impact on an executive's authority, it can also rock her entire team. Research confirms that a sour mood has a ripple effect. Sigal Barsade, Ph.D., an associate professor of management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, has done several studies on "emotional contagions" in professional settings and found that, yes, you can catch a bad mood.

Not quite up there with swine flu, but certainly no manager wants negativity spreading throughout her office--especially if she herself is Ground Zero.

The ability to manage your emotions is an essential leadership skill and responsibility. The best managers make the connection between negativity in the workplace and a negative balance sheet. To make the obvious and opposite point, according to Professor Barsade's 2007 study co-authored by Donald Gibson, who is an associate professor of management at the Dolan School of Business at Fairfield University: "Expressing positive emotions and moods tends to enhance performance at individual, group and organizational levels."

"Especially with the economy right now, people look to leaders for calm in a chaotic environment," says Lynch, co-author of Leading from the Front: No-Excuse Leadership Tactics for Women.

People generally experience a bad or angry mood as a response to fury, fear or failure--real or perceived. So what do you do when a phone call from your sitter reporting that your twins just flooded the bathroom--again--strikes just as you're heading into that client meeting?

The first step is self awareness followed by self control. Admit to yourself that, yes, you're in bad mood, and then make sure you keep your crabbiness under wraps. "Some people think, 'This is just my thing--I cry, I scream, I get moody,'" says Lynch. "But that the type of stuff alienates people and erodes your credibility."

What can you do? ForbesWoman asked experts in integrative medicine and psychology to share the advice they tell their clients. Some of their suggestions offer a new take (who knew the benefits of a little foot stomping?) while others are wise words worth repeating.

Be Here Now

When you're feeling cranky, it's often easy to pinpoint (or point fingers at) the problem: your boss, your husband, traffic. But while any one or all may be a problem at the moment, they are not in control of your reaction to them. You are.

Managing how you respond to others is oftentimes simply a matter of managing your thoughts, says Steven Alper, LSCW, a consultant with the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine who teaches stress-reduction techniques to executives. For example, if your boss gives you an extremely tight deadline for a project, it's easy to get caught in an endless spin cycle of whining: I can't believe she did this to me again! Doesn't she realize I have 10 other things to do this week? Not to mention a family at home that needs me--not that she would know what that's like.

In other words, you're wasting precious time and energy ruminating about the past (all those other 11th-hour assignments) and fretting about the future (not finishing in time to get your kids from daycare). The solution, instead, is to bring yourself into the present. Either get to work, recruit help or explain to your boss why the deadline is unrealistic.

Get Grounded

To short-circuit those recurring negative thought patterns, Alper recommends thinking not on, but with your feet. "We literally feel the thinking in our heads, so you want to get away from where the thinking is going on and drop into the body," he says.

Place your feet firmly on the floor (either standing or sitting--and it's OK to stomp each foot just once) and feel the sensation of the soles of your feet pressing on the surface. This will help you get you out of fantasyland and onto solid ground.

Take a Deep Breath

A foul mood may start in the brain, but it also has a physical effect--calling for a physical solution. Proper breathing techniques can help keep a bad mood from turning into a raised voice or nasty IM.

Alper explains that the value of "taking a breath" isn't simply a matter of pushing the pause button. When something upsets us, like a hostile co-worker, we often freeze--and stop breathing. "When we perceive a threat, the primitive part of our brain prepares the body to fight, flee or freeze by sending blood to our arms and legs--and away from the brain--so you feel more confused," he says.

Slow, deep and rhythmic breathing can dissipate that response. "When you take a deep breath, the message that goes to the brain is, OK, all clear,'" says Alper.

To get the most out of deep-breathing strategies, he recommends practicing them for at least 10 minutes each day; otherwise it will be very difficult to access that relaxation state in a moment of crisis. "It's like batting practice or basic training in sports," he says. "You have to learn the basic skills so that you can deploy them in a game situation."

Hit the Pavement

Exercise is another very simple, effective way to check out of the brain and into the body. Unfortunately, when the client meeting is in 15 minutes, you can't exactly duck out for a Pilates class or a five-mile run.

Fortunately, you don't have to. Robert Thayer, a professor of psychology at California State University, Long Beach, found that mood improves dramatically after a brisk walk of only about 10 to 15 minutes. "It has an immediate and positive effect," says Thayer, who is the author of several books on mood, including The Origin of Everyday Moods. "It both releases tension in the muscles and energizes the body."

Bad moods are inevitable, but there are even more ways to work past them. We can help you with more negativity busters in Mind Over Mood.

Sara Eckel, 07.16.09, 06:00 PM EDT

finally...

i managed to steal time to watched transformers 2...i've been planning to go to kk almost like 4ever...but something always came up... finally last weekend there's no school programme... so took dis opportunity, though there are so many works yet to be done... :)

sadly i dun think transformers 2 is as good as the 1st one... but ice age 3 is superb...u shud watch it...

p/s bila la keningau mau ada cinema ni?? hmm...