IN HONOR OF VETERANS DAY

“Veterans’ Day”

An Arkansas teacher imparts a lesson in the value of freedom by having veterans return her students desks.

Four years ago, in September of 2005, then Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas shared this story of something a teacher did in his state.

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.

“Ms. Cothren, where’re 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.

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.”

Teacher Martha Cothren is the daughter over World War II POW and regularly has veterans visit her classroom. She often uses less typical methods of imparting knowledge to her young students. Part and parcel of what she teaches is an appreciation for the members of the armed services.

Her students now have sent numerous care packages to US personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. They also write letters to soldiers, sending off over 4000 letters since this event.

In 2006, the Veterans of Foreign Wars gave her the honor of naming her Teacher of the Year.

Please consider passing this along so others won’t forget that the freedoms we have in this great country were earned by U. S. Veterans.

POSITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY: Dear God, protect and be with every soldier and their families. Keep them out of harm’s way. Make every effort to bring peace to the world.

Have a wonderful, safe day, and send a silent (or loud) thanks and wish for safety to all those away from their families in service of our country