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Barbara Sipos’ Keeping in Touch Newsletter
April 2008
How To Change Someone’s Life
A math teacher was working on a new concept with her students who were getting more distracted
and frustrated by the minute. She took a deep breath, changed gears, and asked the students to take
out two pieces of paper and list the names of the other students in the class, 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 weekend, 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.
Several years later, one of those students was killed in Vietnam, and the teacher attended the
funeral. 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 pass the coffin.
As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted
as pallbearer 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, Mark’s mother and father
waited 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
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Spring Cleaning Tips
What Is The World’s Fastest Land
Animal?
It’s Tax Time…
Feeling Overworked? You’re Not
Alone
It’s Never Too Late…
Your Mind Never Rests
Mysteries of Life to Ponder
April Events
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