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Agnes Beaudette stood in front of her fifth-grade class on the very first day of school in the fall and told the children a lie. Like most teachers, she looked at her pupils and said that she loved them all the same, that she would treat them all alike. And that was impossible because there in front of her, slumped in his seat on the third row, was a little boy named Hugh Robert.

Mrs. Beaudette had watched Hugh the year before and noticed he didn't play well with the other children, that his clothes were unkempt and that he constantly needed a bath. And Hugh was unpleasant.

It got to the point during the first few months that she would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then marking the F at the top of the paper biggest of all. Because Hugh was a sullen little boy, no one else seemed to enjoy him, either.

At the school where Mrs. Beaudette taught, she was required to review each child's records and put Hugh's off until last. When she  opened his file, she was in for a surprise.

All of his previous teachers had nothing but good things to say such as Hugh is bright, inquisitive, always does his work neatly and he has good manners. Hugh is also a joy to be around and he is well-liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle.

One teacher also said that Hugh continues to work hard but his mother's death has been hard on him and that he tries to do his best but his father doesn't show much interest and his home life will soon affect him. Hugh is now withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school and he doesn't have many friends.

By now Mrs. Beaudette realized the problem. Christmas was coming fast. Her children brought her presents, all in beautiful ribbon and bright paper, except for Hugh's which contained a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing and a bottle of cologne. Hugh stayed behind just long enough to say "Mrs. Beaudette, today you smelled just like my mom used to."

After the children left she cried for at least an hour. On that very day she quit teaching, reading, writing, and speaking. Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Beaudette paid particular attention to one they all called Hugh.

As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year he had become one of the smartest children in class. He was the teacher's pet.
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