A lesson everyone should remember
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.
Looking around, confused, they asked, 'Ms. Cothren, where're our desks?'
She replied, 'You can't have a desk until you tell me what you have
done to 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 noteven 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 desk less 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 inrows, 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.'
BTW this is a true story....
If you can read this,
Thank a GOOD TEACHER
If you read it in ENGLISH
Thank a SOLDIER, SAILOR, MARINE, AIRMAN & COAST GUARD!
CLASS DISMISSED......
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.
Looking around, confused, they asked, 'Ms. Cothren, where're our desks?'
She replied, 'You can't have a desk until you tell me what you have
done to 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 noteven 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 desk less 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 inrows, 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.'
BTW this is a true story....
If you can read this,
Thank a GOOD TEACHER
If you read it in ENGLISH
Thank a SOLDIER, SAILOR, MARINE, AIRMAN & COAST GUARD!
CLASS DISMISSED......
