Obviously, today is all about remembering and honouring those that have fought and sacrificed their lives for our freedom.  As per nearly every November, as Remembrance Day approaches, an email circulates depicting a fantastic lesson of in a high school classroom from 2005.  (for the record, this is a true story, and not just one of those randomly made-up chain emails!)

Clearly, the lesson listed below had a strong impact on the students in this class and serves a good reminder to all of us to be thankful for what our armed forces have fought for. Personally, I think we need to continue to encourage and celebrate teachers like Ms. Cothren...

Back in September, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies school teacher at Robinson High School, 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 behaviour.'

She told them, 'No, it's not even your behaviour.'

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 War 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.'