Educational Story
Came across this story and it makes me wish I had been this kind of inspiriation when I was teaching
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."
This is a true story....
If you can read this - thank a teacher! If you can read it in English - thank a soldier!
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."
This is a true story....
If you can read this - thank a teacher! If you can read it in English - thank a soldier!