a special tuesday thought
Desk Jockeyed
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 desk less 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.
To those that want to share this Please do so.
7 Comments on “a special tuesday thought”
Leave a Reply
Monday’s Music Moves Me
Awww…Mondays
Wordless Wednesday
That teacher has it right too. Couldn't pull this one off here in California. Too bad too.Have a terrific day Mike. Big hug. 🙂
This is such a touching post. Those kids will never forget this.
Sandee,I bet you could not pull this off in a lot of places anymore.What a great lesson in the price of freedom.Mari,you betcha!
What a wise teacher!
Wanda's Wings,you betcha.
What a great story!Thanks for stopping by..
Icy BC,thanks.