Taking the Time to Actually Appreciate and Listen...

I have always wanted to share this story because it is one of the things that I will remember for my entire life and I’m sure the other person feels the same.

We had a substitute teacher in my high school World History class. This lady was very nice and seemed excited to see us. She told a story about when her dad was fighting in a war and brought a picture of him. After about 3 minutes of her talking, the class got a little rowdy and started talking softly to each other because they were getting bored. She asked “So, you guys don’t really want to hear any more?” She looked kind of offended. No one dared to actually say “no” to her out loud, except for this one kid. He said, “No, not really,” in a nonchalant, disrespectful way. Some kids were a little shocked and thought that it was rather rude. The teacher even admitted that what he said was rude.
I felt extremely bad for this teacher. No one deserves to be treated in such a disrespectful manner. So, a little before class let out, I went up and apologized to her on behalf of the guy’s rude behavior. I told her I had been listening, and even though I may not entirely like history, I did appreciate her sharing her story. I asked her more about her father and asked to see the picture of him. We had a very nice, genuine, conversation about her father.
This substitute was touched. She really appreciated me coming up and actually treating her with the respect that she deserves. I felt at full peace with myself knowing that I did the right thing and I was super happy that I actually made her day. Even though I didn’t really care for history, I still listened, and I hope that others in different situations will do the same. Listening means a lot to the people sharing, it really does. If I had just left the class without saying a word, I would have felt extremely guilty and would have a constant reminder, probably to this day, that justice was not served and I had left a person in their time of need.

Submitted by Anonymous

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