The Register's Editorial: Teacher's tale with Des Moines spin keeps spreading

'Tis the season when well-meaning folks share heartwarming tales via emails and Facebook posts. One that landed in our inbox recently had an interesting Des Moines connection.

The story involved a fifth-grade teacher (Mrs. Thompson) and her messy, unpleasant student (Teddy Stoddard). Mrs. Thompson delighted in "putting a big 'F' at the top of his papers." Then she learned his background: He had once been a bright, well-mannered boy, but he fell into a downward spiral after his mother died when he was in third grade.

The ashamed Mrs. Thompson changed her tack, showering Teddy with attention and encouragement. By the end of the year he was near the top of his class.

Every few years, Teddy would send Mrs. Thompson notes on his progress. He finished high school third in his class. He graduated college with honors. He became a doctor. He thanked her for making a difference in his life.

Mrs. Thompson said Teddy was 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."

And here's the kicker: "Theodore Stoddard is the doctor at Iowa Methodist in Des Moines that has the Stoddard Cancer Wing."

There's one problem with the story: It's not true. The cancer center is named for John Stoddard, a real estate developer.

Multiple media outlets — the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Snopes.com and others — have tracked down the truth: Teddy's story originated in HomeLife magazine, a Baptist publication, in 1976, but it was labeled fiction. The author, Elizabeth Silance Ballard, said she based the story very loosely on incidents in her own life.

Ballard said she has heard televangelist Robert Schaller repeat the story as if he knew Teddy. Paul Harvey read it as "news." Education groups have circulated the story. It was made into a short film. Marian Wright Edelman, president and founder of the Children's Defense Fund, has included the story in speeches, according to the Florida Times-Union.

Versions of the story keep spreading and evolving. At some point, the Des Moines angle was added.

Teachers indeed make a difference. But disguising fairy tales as truth is a foolish — and ultimately futile — way to educate. So before you share a story, look it up.