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A Lesson That Should Be Taught In All Schools

Arkay

Lunatic Member
Someone emailed me this. I thought it worth sharing...

A Lesson That Should Be Taught In All Schools

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 super! visor, 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 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.

If you can read this, thank a teacher.

Since you read it in English, thank a soldier.

If anyone questions whether this is true or not, send them to this link:
http://www.snopes.com/glurge/nodesks.asp
 
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Cool. Lots of people can tell you about their rights and privileges but there aren't near so many who want to talk about responsibilities and paying the price.
 
Hi,

This wonderful lady taught a superb lesson about what makes our freedom possible and an example of how for students to conduct themselves. Something forgotten in our modern world. Something we never should forget. Kudos to her and a salute to our superb veterans with honor and respect for a job well done. US Veterans, a Salute from myself.
 
Awesome story! Seems like a very creative to inspire a lesson that would normally get glossed over and not really understood.
 
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