Sunday, August 25, 2013

"In a world of universal deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act."

Editor's note: Your ProbateShark is a proud U.S. Navy veteran and is the father of two U.S. vets. This Shark attended his wife's 1963 Niles H.S. class reunion last night.  Of the over 700 Niles 1963 grads, only 60 were in the military. The statistic is: Of men over the age of 60, 70% have had military service and men under 60 only 2% have had military service.

Last night, this Shark broke bread with a den of draft dodgers, men who evaded their obligation to serve their county.  Men who used their privileged positions of education and family money to let other better men then they die face down in the mud.  Shame on you class of '63.  Lucius Verenus, Schoolmaster, ProbateSharks.com 



>Subject: Love this teacher


>Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a Military History 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 are 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. 

Kids called their parents to tell them what was happening and by early afternoon television news crews had started gathering at the school 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 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.' 

At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it. 

Twenty-seven (27) U.S. Veterans, all in uniform, 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.  They went halfway around the world, giving up their education and interrupting their careers and families so you could have the freedom you have.

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. And this teacher was awarded Veterans of Foreign Wars Teacher of the Year for the state of Arkansas in 2006. She is the 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 !


 

"In a world of universal deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act."    
George Orwell

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