Test score or teddy bear: Which is a better measure of teacher?

As Georgia considers using student test scores to measure a teacher’s effectiveness, a local first grade teacher offers another gauge of her abilities: A well-loved, still-cherished teddy bear.

More than 20 years ago, teacher Linda Ramsey gave a graduating fifth grader the teddy bear that had been a mascot in her first grade classroom. Ramsey often sat the teddy bear on her lap as she read to her young students. Mary was one of those students. Because of the special bond that developed between Ramsey and Mary, the teacher handed her the bear at graduation.

Now, 20 years later, Mary is married with children and posted a photo on Facebook that brought a smile to Ramsey’s face.