> A social studies schoolteacher 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 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.
>
> By the way, this is a true story. 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.
