Mrs. Brice gives Brodie a thumbs up as he walks out of her office. “You’re a good boy, Brodie.” Brodie hears Mrs. Brice mutter as he walks out of her office.

    After the visit he had with Mrs. Brice, Brodie thinks of Mrs. Brice as more of a friend than a teacher now.

    Since then Brodie has tried to listen more carefully in class and study diligently because he wants to make Mrs. Brice proud. Brodie continues to work hard every day and has never forgotten those valuable words that Mrs. Brice said to him.

    Four years later:

    “It has been an honor to see each and every one of you graduate from Crystal High. Most of all, I would like to congratulate our valedictorian, Brodie Waters,” Mrs. Brice announces with a surprised tone to her voice. Her eyes are flashing with excitement.

    Brodie steps up on the stage and stands beside Mrs. Brice. Mrs. Brice’s eyes fill up with excitement and tears. As Mrs. Brice hands Brodie his diploma, she whispers to him, “I told you, I knew that you were going to make me proud someday.” Tears start to well up in her eyes as she hugs Brodie.

    Brodie puts his hands on Mrs. Brice’s back as she hugs him, Brodie whispers, “Mrs. Brice, I would have never done it without you, it was you who taught me a lesson. It was you who touched my heart, and pushed me to do something with my life. I would have never become a valedictorian without you, Mrs. Brice,” Brodie whispers into Mrs. Brice’s ear.

    Mrs. Brice’s mouth turns into a wide smile, and Brodie’s eyes start to well up with tears too. “I wish you the best, Brodie! You’ve made me very proud. You are such a good boy, Brodie.”

    “I’ll never forget you, Mrs. Brice,” Brodie says while wiping tears from his eyes.

    As Brodie walks off the stage, he could feel the whole crowd’s eyes directly on him, but he doesn’t care. Brodie is truly sad about graduation. He is sad he has to leave high school, and he is sad he has to leave Mrs. Brice.

    As the days pass, Brodie knows that he has to stop being so upset and start letting go.

    Later on Brodie receives a terrific job offer working as an engineer. He is so successful that his name is well-known in the engineering world. But despite his accomplishments, sometimes during work, Brodie would just stop and start to think: “Mrs. Brice, are you proud of me? Are you proud of what I have become? Are you proud that I am a great engineer?

    On January 12, 2010, Mrs. Brice died of cancer.

    Brodie cried his heart out. While he was crying, the memory of him at his graduation, hugging Mrs. Brice, kept replaying, over and over in his head. His eyes were puffy and red and flooding with sadness. Still in shock, he continued to wipe all his tears from his face, as his heart broke into many pieces.

    Brodie knew that he wouldn’t forget Mrs. Brice for the rest of his life, and he knew that when he had kids, that he would tell his kids about his high school principal, and how great she was. The memory of Mrs. Brice would be kept in a special place in Brodie’s heart forever.

    He would always remember the teacher that changed his life.

    The beautiful name that someone could shout from a mile away and he could still hear perfectly.

    Mrs. Brice, the teacher that changed his life.