Something that should be commonplace!!!

ND13

Here's a lesson that should be taught in all schools! It is a true story that happened in the Fall of 2005 in a high school in Little Rock, Arkansas. This story can be checked out as true at this site:

http://www.snopes.com/glurge/nodesks.asp

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 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....

Thank you Ms. Cothren

shack

Nice story Noel.

BTW, we missed you at PF.

Polk65

F yeah. Good thing she got permission. There was a teacher that locked her students in the school library this summer. She was making a demonstration about their rights being abused as I recall. Some labeled her as kind of nutty and I don't think she'll ever teach again.

audiobliss

Yes indeed. Thank you, Ms. Cothren.

And thank you, our valiant military personnel.

Systems

I think it would be more fitting if that were a French class room (In France) with American Vets.

Mike682

Excellent story

shadowofnight

Very Cool