what one teacher did

jh grunt

<div class="IPBDescription">a good classroom study</div>Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a SocialStudiesSchoolTeacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock<br />
did something not to be forgotten.<br />
<br />
On the first day of school, with the permission of the School Superintendent, the Principal and the Building Supervisor, <br />
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.<br />
<br />
Looking around, confused, they asked, "Ms. Cothren,where're our desks?"<br />
<br />
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."<br />
<br />
They thought, "Well, maybe it's our grades."<br />
<br />
"No," she said.<br />
<br />
"Maybe it's our behavior."<br />
<br />
She told them, "No, it's not even your behavior."<br />
<br />
And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, third period. Still no desks in the classroom.<br />
By early afternoon television news crews had started gathering in Ms. Cothren's classroom to report about this crazy teacher <br />
who had taken all the desks out of her room.<br />
<br />
The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found seats on the floor of the deskless classroom, <br />
Martha Cothren said, <br />
"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 <br />
that are ordinarily found in this classroom.<br />
<br />
Now I am going to tell you."<br />
<br />
At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it. <br />
Twenty-seven (27) U.S.Veterans, all in uniforms, walked into that classroom,each one carrying a school desk. <br />
The Vets began placing the school desks in rows, and then they would walk over and stand alongside the wall.<br />
<br />
By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids started to understand, <br />
perhaps for the first time in their lives, just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned.<br />
<br />
Martha said, "You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. <br />
These heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. Now, it's up to you to sit in them.<br />
It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students,to be good citizens.<br />
They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get an education.<br />
<br />
Don't ever forget it."<br />
<br />
<br />
http://www.snopes.com/glurge/nodesks.asp