The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students sat on the floor of the deskless classroom, Martha Cothren said, '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.'
The teacher, Martha Cothren, went over to the door of her classroom and opened it.
In the opened door came twenty-seven (27) U.S. Veterans, all in uniform. They came into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk.
The Vets began by placing the school desks in rows, and then each soldier 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.
Ms. Cothren said: 'You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. These soldiers 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. Some were wounded, some never returned.
Now, it's up to you to sit at these desks that were earned for you. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students, to be good citizens. They paid the price so that you could have the freedoms of the USA and 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 proud daughter of a WWII POW.
*Please consider passing this along so others won't forget either that the freedoms we have in this great country were earned by U. S. Veterans. Always remember them and the rights they have won for us. Blessings abound in the USA !*
This was checked with Snopes and it is true. Below is Snopes website confirming the above story and adding information about this amazing teacher.
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