ATAK, Inc.
12-03-2011, 11:09 AM
Got this in an email from my FIL!
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. And this teacher was awarded
Teacher
of the Year for the state of Arkansas in 2006.
Please consider passing this along so others won't forget that the
freedoms we have in this great country were earned by U. S.
Veterans
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. And this teacher was awarded
Teacher
of the Year for the state of Arkansas in 2006.
Please consider passing this along so others won't forget that the
freedoms we have in this great country were earned by U. S.
Veterans