‘You’re the Reason behind My Success’ Problem Student Tells Former Teacher 25 Years Later – Story of the Day

Mrs. Hall knew Miles was a good student, despite constantly getting in trouble at school. But her kind words made him turn over a new leaf. Years later, she receives the surprise of her life.

"Sit down and be quiet!" Mrs. Hall shouted.

It was the norm. Whenever she came to this class, she would always find the students rowdy and unruly, some sitting with legs on their desks and others throwing pieces of paper at each other.

It was the same pattern every single day. Her students disliked her for being strict and demanding good behavior from them.

"I SAID SIT DOWN AND BE QUIET!"

As the rowdy students scampered to their respective seats, Mrs. Hall wondered how best she'd get them to behave, especially Miles, who was notorious for being noisy and never doing his homework. She had tried to set him straight, but all her advice fell on deaf ears, and she was getting sick of it.

That was many years back.

She now lived a poverty-stricken life on the shabby side of town. Her health failed her, as did her finances. For years now, she could not afford a decent lifestyle and had resigned herself to fate.

Her illness had eaten up her life savings and forced her to borrow from friends and family to buy medications, and now, she was swimming in debt.

One day, she heard a knock on her door after her morning nap. It was her friend Roselyn. They exchanged pleasantries, and Mrs. Hall invited her inside.

"You are the reason behind my success," Miles said, taking Mrs. Hall's hands in his.

After catching up on their lives, Roselyn opened up to Mrs. Hall. "I have a problem. Do you remember Jason, my grandson?"

"Of course, I remember Jason. What's going on with him?"

"Well... I'm worried about him. He's doing very poorly at school and always seems to find himself on the wrong side of the school law, so to speak."

As Roselyn narrated the troubles her oldest grandson had been experiencing at school, Mrs. Hall's memory took her back to when she was still teaching at Spring Hill High School.

"Reminds me of Miles. The boy could never stay out of trouble. He was loud and undisciplined, and no amount of detention could set him straight."

"I do know that we had a special connection. I constantly quarreled with him, and he took offense at me, but deep down, I could tell he was a good boy," she continued, remembering her time as a teacher.

"How could you tell? And why was he so undisciplined if he was a good boy?" wondered Roselyn.

"Having dealt with students for years, you just know. Some of these students only put up a tough front to help them deal with life, but if you dig a little deeper, they are the sweetest kids you'll meet."

"Could be the case with Jason. Have you tried talking to him more instead of criticizing him?" Mrs. Hall inquired

"I'll definitely try that approach," Roselyn said. "So this Miles, whatever happened to him?" a curious Roselyn wondered.

"Well, I can't say for sure, but I fell ill for some time and had to quit my job as a teacher, and on my last day there, as I said goodbye to the kids, I saw him cry."

"He cried? I thought he hated you," reiterated Roselyn.

"It was a love-hate relationship. Miles caught up as I left the classroom and said he would miss me. And I told him I knew he was a good boy and that I believed in him. If only he could focus on his future, he would succeed in whatever he put his mind to. He promised to change his ways, but I don't know if he followed through with it."

A few weeks later...

Mrs. Hall was at home when she heard a car hoot in front of her house. She looked out the window to see an expensive-looking red jeep parked at the front.

She then saw a man get out of the driver's seat and start approaching her front door. She did not recognize him and wondered who it could be.

A few seconds later, she heard a knock, and despite having seen him approach, her heart jumped for a second. She rushed to open the door.

"Hello, Mrs. Hall, I know you don't recognize me!" said the handsome-looking young man, grinning from ear to ear.

"To be honest, I don't. Do I know you?"

"You should!" He laughed. "It's me! Miles! Remember your troublesome student at Spring Hill High School?"

"What? What do you mean? Is that really you?" a shocked Mrs. Hall stared intensely at Miles, forgetting she had kept her guest standing at the door.

"It's me, Mrs. Hall! So much time has passed!"

"You've grown so tall and ... and ..."

"Handsome...?"

They both laughed, and after the initial shock died, Mrs. Hall invited Miles into her home and made him a fresh glass of fruit juice.

They sat for hours as Miles narrated how he had turned over a new leaf after she left, began doing and submitting his homework on time, and studied hard. "I set my mind to becoming the best student, attained an excellent grade, got admitted to a good university, and the rest is history."

"Oh, Miles, I'm so happy I don't know what to say! That's all I ever wished for you! I could always tell you were a good and bright boy, just going through some stuff."

"I gotta say, Mrs. Hall, if you had not believed in me, I may not be where I am today, Your kind words helped me realize I was headed in the wrong direction. You are the reason behind my success," Miles said, taking Mrs. Hall's hands in his.

"I'm just happy I could help." Mrs. Hall said, her eyes getting teary.

"After completing my university studies, I landed a well-paying job as the financial manager at the city's largest finance firm, and I earn very good money."

"I am truly happy for you. Every teacher's dream is to see their students succeed."

"I did not say that just to gloat, Mrs. Hall. I understand that you got sick, stopped working, and have a lot of debt. I want to clear your debt down to the last penny!"

Lost for words, Mrs. Hall leaned into Miles' shoulder and cried her heart out.

"It's only a small appreciation for what you did for me all those years ago!"

"Thank you, thank you so much, Miles. I was only doing my job!"

"You did an outstanding job, Mrs. Hall," Miles answered, and they laughed. "I also want to pay for all your medical expenses and take you to the best hospital."

Mrs. Hall could not hold back her joy. "That is too much for just believing in you. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I don't know what to say!" she said, wiping the tears that now flowed freely down her cheeks.

"Say yes to helping my children with their studies after school. Unfortunately, they don't make teachers as they used to anymore. I want you to become the teacher for them as you were for me."

"I would gladly do so, Miles!" she answered.

"I want you to know that I owe my success to you, and you should be a part of it too. Thank you for everything!" Miles said.

In a moment, Mrs. Hall's life had changed so much, only because she was kind and believed in someone years back.

What can we learn from this story?

• Kind words go a long way. Mrs. Hall's kind words to Miles helped him introspect and change his ways. Believing in him despite his lack of discipline helped him carve out a prosperous future for himself.

• One good turn deserves another. Mrs. Hall believed in Miles; years later, he thanked her generously for her good deeds.

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This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Please share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.