You Have Value

I failed in grade three and this demoralized me so much that even in high school I stayed near the bottom of the class

                Then on e day something happened which changed all this. In grade eight we had a class dance and the teacher said she was bringing along her sister, who was also middle-aged. When the two ladies arrived at the dance, the first thing Miss Neff did was pick me out of the crowd and bring her sister over to me, She put her hand on my shoulder and said to her sister, “patsy, I want you to meet Tony first; he has the nicest smile in the class.”
        
        She didn't say, “Here is Tony: he can’t read; he can’t’ recite; he can’t do anything.” No, she said “He has the nicest smile  in the class.”

                I left that dance a lot taller and with more self-confidence than I had ever had in my life. Since that time I have earned a Master’s degree, been a teacher and a businessman and now work on computer resources.

                But it all started at the class dance in high school when Miss Neff showed me that I had something of value, something to give to others. My self-respect was restored.