A Wonderful Veteran's Day Story
A lesson that should be taught in all
> schools . . . . and colleges.
>
> Back in September of 2005, on
> the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies school
> teacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock , did something not to
> be forgotten. On the first day of school, with the permission of the
> school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she
> removed all of the desks out of her classroom.
>
>
> When the first period
> kids entered the room they discovered that there were no desks.
>
> 'Ms. Cothren, where're our
> desks?'
>
> She replied, 'You can't
> have a desk until you tell me how you earn the right to sit at a
> desk.'
>
> They thought, 'Well, maybe
> it's our grades.'
>
> 'No,' she said.
>
> 'Maybe it's our
> behavior.'
>
> She told them, 'No, it's not
> even your behavior.'
>
> And so, they came and went, the first period, second period,
> third period. Still no desks in the classroom.
>
> By early afternoon television
> news crews had started gathering in Ms.Cothren's classroom to report
> about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room.
>
> The final period of the day
> came and as the puzzled students found seats on the floor of the
> deskless classroom, Martha Cothren said, 'Throughout the day no one
> has been able to tell me just what he/she has done to earn the right
> to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now
> I am going to tell you.'
>
> At this point, Martha Cothren
> went over to the door of her classroom and opened it.
>
> Twenty-seven (27) U.S.
> Veterans, all in uniforms, walked into that classroom, each one
> carrying a school desk. The Vets began placing the school desks in
> rows, and then they would walk over and stand alongside the wall. By
> the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids
> started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives,
> just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned.
>
> Martha said, 'You
> didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes did it for
> you. They placed the desks here for you. Now, it's up to you to sit
> in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students, to
> be good citizens. They paid the price so that you could have the
> freedom to get an education. Don't ever forget it.'
>
> By the way, this is a true story.
>
> schools . . . . and colleges.
>
> Back in September of 2005, on
> the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies school
> teacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock , did something not to
> be forgotten. On the first day of school, with the permission of the
> school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she
> removed all of the desks out of her classroom.
>
>
> When the first period
> kids entered the room they discovered that there were no desks.
>
> 'Ms. Cothren, where're our
> desks?'
>
> She replied, 'You can't
> have a desk until you tell me how you earn the right to sit at a
> desk.'
>
> They thought, 'Well, maybe
> it's our grades.'
>
> 'No,' she said.
>
> 'Maybe it's our
> behavior.'
>
> She told them, 'No, it's not
> even your behavior.'
>
> And so, they came and went, the first period, second period,
> third period. Still no desks in the classroom.
>
> By early afternoon television
> news crews had started gathering in Ms.Cothren's classroom to report
> about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room.
>
> The final period of the day
> came and as the puzzled students found seats on the floor of the
> deskless classroom, Martha Cothren said, 'Throughout the day no one
> has been able to tell me just what he/she has done to earn the right
> to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now
> I am going to tell you.'
>
> At this point, Martha Cothren
> went over to the door of her classroom and opened it.
>
> Twenty-seven (27) U.S.
> Veterans, all in uniforms, walked into that classroom, each one
> carrying a school desk. The Vets began placing the school desks in
> rows, and then they would walk over and stand alongside the wall. By
> the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids
> started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives,
> just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned.
>
> Martha said, 'You
> didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes did it for
> you. They placed the desks here for you. Now, it's up to you to sit
> in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students, to
> be good citizens. They paid the price so that you could have the
> freedom to get an education. Don't ever forget it.'
>
> By the way, this is a true story.
>
