One in a Million_{everyday people}

The Story...

He was in the first class I taught.

All my students were dear to me, but Mark Eklund was one in a million. He had that happy-to-be-alive attitude that made even his occasional mischievousness delightful.

Mark talked incessantly. I had to remind him again and again that talking without permission was not acceptable.

Every time he would say: “Thank you for correcting me, ma'am!” I didn’t know what to make of it at first, but before long I became accustomed to hearing it many times a day.

One morning, he was talking again. I made a mistake and snapped at him: "If you say one more word, I am going to tape your mouth shut!”

And of course Mark talked again.

I felt awful, but I had to act on it.

Without saying a word, I tore off two pieces of scotch tape and made a big X with them over his mouth.

As I glanced at Mark to see how he was doing, he winked at me.

That did it! I started laughing. The class cheered as I walked back to Mark’s desk and removed the tape.

His first words were, “Thank you for correcting me, Mrs. Green."

Six years later, I was teaching junior-high math, and Mark was back, more handsome than ever and just as polite.

One Friday, things just didn’t feel right. We had worked hard on a new math concept all week, the kids were frowning, frustrated with themselves and edgy with one another. I needed a way to lift their spirits.

So I asked them to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, and 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 me the papers.

Then I wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and I listed what everyone else had said about that individual, and gave each student his or her completed list.

Before long, the whole class was smiling. "Really?” I heard whispered. “I never knew that meant anything to anyone!” "I didn’t know others liked me so much.”

The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another again.

That group of students moved on.