What a beautiful spring and summer
we’ve had so far. I’m looking forward
to the rest of July, August and then
into an amazing South Dakota fall.
I got this email from a friend
and thought it was worth sharing.
This teacher taught her students a
very valuable and impactful lesson.
A lesson that we all need to be
reminded of.
NOW SHE IS A TEACHER!!!
In September of 2005, on the
first day of school, Martha Cothren,
a History 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 in her
classroom. When the first period kids
entered the room they discovered that
there were no desks.
‘Ms. Cothren, where are 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. Kids
called their parents to tell them what
was happening and by early afternoon
television news crews had started
gathering at the school 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,
4vHERVOICE JULY/AUGUST 2015
Meanderings
Micki’s
‘Throughout the day no one has been
able to tell me just what he or 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 uniform, 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. They went
halfway around the world, giving
up their education and interrupting
their careers and families so you
could have the freedom you have.
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 Veterans of
Foreign Wars Teacher of the Year for
the State of Arkansas in 2006. She is
the daughter of a WWII POW.
Let us always remember the men
and women of our military and the
rights they have won for us.
Enjoy your summer, bless you,