Artist shares how a teacher accidentally saved a student’s life but only found out years later
'My whole life was spent on responses to tiny actions that kept me drawing...'
Encouragement costs nothing, but how often do we pause to offer it? A small gesture can literally turn someone's life 360 degrees, and that's the power of kindness and compassion. In a podcast (@needtotalk) with Paul Carrick Brunson, artist Charlie Mackesy recalled an incident about how a teacher saved his student's life without realizing it until years later when she met him as a parent.
"The tiniest act of kindness can launch a career. It can propel someone for the next year. If you just said, 'Well done, mate. You are doing good for yourself.' It can just be a whisper," Mackesy said. The artist recalled the story of a teacher and how he accidentally saved his student's life with a simple response. The kind teacher was at a parents' meeting when he met a woman who introduced herself as his ex-student. Once the mom said who she was, the teacher immediately recognized her. "I do remember you. You were great," he said, oblivious to the fact that he was the sole reason she was standing there in front of him that day. The woman then reminded the teacher of the day she had decided to end her life, and how he unknowingly changed her mind. "That was my last day alive. And I came to say goodbye to everyone at school, and you were my last lesson," the woman said. While she was lost in her thoughts, perhaps contemplating her decision, the teacher walked past her in class, looked at her drawing, and said, "Well done! That's beautiful! Don't give up!" The last three words rang over and over in her head and not only saved the woman's life but also gave her a purpose to keep living.
Mackesy was so inspired by the story that he said he always makes sure to encourage people because that's what the world needs. The artist said, "My whole life was spent on responses to tiny actions that kept me drawing; whether it was my sister or the people who said, 'Good for you.'" They say you don't need a hundred people, but just one is enough to give wings to your dreams. And if that special someone is a teacher, then there is nothing better.
Reacting to Mackesy's story, @benedict_sloane wrote, "This is the most beautiful, moving thing I've heard. You continue to inspire not just through your beautiful creations, Charlie, but also instill that beauty and encouragement in us all." @sara commented, "Oh, thank you. What a beautiful person! Such insight and understanding are heartbreaking in a world that often feels devoid of such qualities."
@stsj90 shared, "When I first qualified as a teacher, I had a boy in my year 7 tutor group who hardly spoke and was too shy to make friends, someone that other kids might think was a bit odd. PE was absolute torture for him, and I’d spoken to the PE staff many times about the problems he was having with other students. I just decided one day I wasn’t willing to let him keep getting picked on, so I just took it upon myself to let him sit at the back of my classroom and do homework instead of going to PE lessons. It was in the days when no one would really question it. The day I left that school, I found a note sticking out from under my keyboard, which said, 'If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here. Thank you,' and the name of that student. I didn’t do anything heroic — I was just kind. I’ll always remember him, and I hope he’s doing okay."
You can follow We Need To Talk (@needtotalk) on Instagram for more motivational podcasts.
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