This 2-year-old letter from a teacher is going viral… here’s why

A question to teachers – How often have you praised your student who has failed his exams?

Probably, never. But a teacher in the UK did just that. Her letter to one of her students, written more than two-years-ago, appreciating his skills is finding admiration from one and all.

11-year-old Ben Twist lives with autism. A student of Lansbury Bridge School and Sports College, in St. Helens, Merseyside, he failed his SAT tests. But, instead of condemning him, his teacher sent an appreciative letter to his mother. The letter congratulated Ben on his attitude and then described, in detail, a list of things that he is good at, his talents and abilities. For its positiveness, the letter is finding appreciation by one and all.

Here’re the full contents of the letter:

“Dear Ben,

I am writing you to congratulate you on your attitude and success in completing your end of key stage SATs.

Gil, Lynn, Angela, Steph and Anne have worked so well with you this year and you have made some fabulous progress.

I have written to you and your parents to tell you the results of the tests.

A very important piece of information I want you to understand is that these tests only measure a little bit of you and your abilities. They are important and you have done so well, but Ben Twist is made up of many other skills and talents that we at Lansbury Bridge see and measure in other ways.

Other talents you have that these tests do not measure include: Your artistic talents, your ability to work in a team, your growing independence, your kindness, your ability to express your opinion, your abilities in sports, your ability to make and keep friends, your ability to discuss and evaluate your own progress, your design and building talents, and your musical ability.

We are so pleased that all of these different talents and abilities make you the special person you are and these are all of the things we measure to reassure us that you are always making progress and continuing to develop as a lovely, bright young man.

Well done Ben, we are very proud of you.

Best Wishes,

Mrs Clarkson”

Here are some reactions from the online world:

This letter is so very true… I only wish my 12 y/o’s school was so caring and supportive of pupils on AS.

— Nicolai (@nickh1877) July 11, 2016

Please tell Mrs Clarkson she is a credit to the teaching profession.

— Tom Watson (@tom_watson) July 9, 2016

@Guest909 Wow if only all other schools did this kind of thing. Will you be framing it? 😊 Well done

— Eden River Brew Co (@edenriverbrewco) July 9, 2016

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