A lesson that hopefully these children will never forget:

normally i wouldnt forward or post something like this, but i thought it was a good story. a friend of mine sent it to me. had a line in it about the story had been checked out at snopes.com i didnt check it out myself thought the story alone was good enough.

so here it is fellas

          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's 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 heros 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."
Reply to
Chris Thompson
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That was pretty darn good Chris.

Reply to
azwiley1

In responce to azwiley1 's post. I thought everyone should know:

glad you liked it Larry

Reply to
Chris Thompson

I wish there was a way to get lessons like this taught/re-enforced more often, not just in schools, but in other areas of life. I think more "adults" have forgotten little facts like this, which is why most kids don't learn this stuff. If the parents "don't care" and do not take the time to educate their kids, how does the kid learn, you can't drop the whole thing on the schools. They are bad enough in most cases.

Reply to
azwiley1

Pretty good Chris, thanks for posting it.

Roy

Reply to
Roy

Larry they spend all the time teaching to a state mandated test. I think that is one of the reason's Sue said the hell with it and decided to move down here with me rather than do another 5 years.

Reply to
Roy

I can't say I blame Sue. I know AZ (at least Cochise County and Tucson) are terrible when it comes to true "education" as we "teach" (how dare they call it that anymore) to the test. Oh and add to the fact that all students are required to take Spanish class so they can learn to speak a foriegn language to be able to communicate in the USA!

I do think that having a "test" is a good thing, but first what happen to the old fashion mid terms and finals, I thought that was what they were for? But to teach only what is known to be on the test is pure horse shit.

Reply to
azwiley1

The standardized tests were designed to solve a known problem in our schools. There was little to go on to tell if a school, school system, county etc. was actually teaching kids anything. Difficult to tell which schools were educating better than others and what methods worked or didn't work. Mid terms and finals are only as good as the teacher is. Any teacher can give all A's or all F's depending on how difficult they make their tests and how they set the curve. So I can see what the standardized tests are trying to do. Judge the teachers, schools etc. on whether they are teaching or not.

However, the method they came up with won't work. As stated the schools simply start teaching how to pass the test and little else. We need to come up with some method of finding which schools and teachers are doing a better job and why so we can apply what works to other schools and get rid of lousy teachers and lousy methods.

Reply to
miles

There is. When I was in school I took the California Achievement Test, which was suppose to give an idea on what level a student is according to grade level.

Reply to
GeekBoy

That is the standardized type of tests that is becoming a widespread problem. We have a similar test here in AZ. The problem is that the teachers are now structuring their lesson plans around passing the test and little else.

Reply to
miles

Reply to
Dimbo Spams

I have it real firmly in mind and hoping we taught the kids right, Larry...

Clay deployed last night and it's hard for a parent to have a warm fuzzy feeling about him going, but that's his job.. Brings back a lot of things that I thought I'd erased.. *sigh*

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Reply to
mac davis

Bro, a couple of deep breaths for starters. We both know those "things" are never erased, just covered with layers of more pleasant stuff.

Ya want a phone number to shoot the shit?

Reply to
Roy

All

Were S Ariz organized as we/they should be we would be a bicultural and with it bilingual part of this country. Our problems with the Mexican border would have evaporated long ago. But our narrow and probably biggoted political system seems to thrive on being narrow minded when the good of the country is up for grabs as it is every 4 years.

But amazingly we have the worst system on the face of the earth and sadly it is the best there is.

Mexico is our neighbor across a narrow street called the border with nothing in between. We are so different it is pitiful. Were we to share our common things and seek to live with the differences life would be simpler.

Things will go on as they have for a long while. Probably long after I am gone.

Now for the flames!!

Bob AZ

Reply to
Bob AZ

Actually it was not. It was not required to be passed to the next grade. Hence teachers did not teach the test.

It was also used as a placement for struggling students.

Reply to
GeekBoy

Yes the teachers do teach for the test. Same as in Arizona. Only senior high school students must pass the test in AZ. For all others the test results end up 'grading' particular schools and teachers. Schools end up getting their own report card.

Reply to
miles

Yeah, I know.. but you hate to have your kids going through the shit you did... The good news is that when he went in 7 years ago, he had the PLAN... Rangers/Airborne/Special Forces/Delta... and I talked him out of being that big of a target... He's a motor pool NCO now and might be a little safer doing that...

Nope.. appreciate the offer, but the phone sucks... OTOH, we have a guest room and a lot of cold beer if ya want to come down for a while and talk.. *g*

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Reply to
mac davis

Bob.. don't know about mainland MX, but Baja schools are pretty good.. My wife is a volunteer at the local secondary school and after mom & dad shell out for uniforms, books, etc., they make damn sure that the kids attend and learn...

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Reply to
mac davis

This country will never learn

It is good that he listened.

Understood.

Hmmm.. There's a thought. Will be picking up the Camry hybrid later today. One of these day's it will need a good run.

Ya okay?

Roy

Reply to
Roy

LOL, and how has it ever been different???

Reply to
TBone

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