News Crews Show Up After Kids Call Home To Report Their Teacher Removed All The Desks
January 25, 2024
Martha Cothren taught her students a lesson they'll never forget when the teacher removed all desks from the classroom. And it's a powerful reminder we all need to hear!
Exceptional teachers know that just reading facts from a textbook isn't enough to get through to a group of high school kids. Martha Cothren is one of those exceptional teachers.
In 2005, she came up with a clever way to teach her students about the price of freedom. And her "lesson" was so powerful, it still circulates the internet today as a real-life modern-day parable!
Teacher Removed All Desks From Classroom
Can you imagine walking into a classroom with absolutely no desks? That's exactly what happened to students of Robinson High School in Little Rock on their first day of class in Martha Cothren's History class.
RELATED: Students Noticed Their Teacher Wore The Same Dress For 100 Days
"Ms. Cothren, where are our desks?" the confused kids asked.
"You can't have a desk until you tell me how you earn the right to sit at a desk," Marth replied.
Puzzled, the students started making guesses at how they could "earn" a desk. Good grades? Good behavior?
Martha explained that while grades and behavior were important, none of that earned them a seat. Students came and went, sitting on the floor while trying to figure out what their teacher was waiting to hear from them. Some kids even started calling their parents and by the afternoon, all of the local news stations had shown up at the school to report on how the "crazy" teacher removed all desks from her class.
It wasn't until the final period when Martha Cothren revealed the lesson behind this clever stunt.
Arkansas Teacher's Lesson Using Desks
"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," Martha said. "Now I am going to tell you."
Martha opened the door and twenty-seven U.S. Armed Services Veterans, all in uniform, filed into the classroom. Each veteran carried a school desk.
"You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks," Martha said. "These heroes did it for you."
Martha went on to explain how the brave men and women before her class traveled all around the world, sacrificing their own education and time with family so they could enjoy the daily freedoms often taken for granted.
"They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get an education. Don't ever forget it," Martha said.
Many times when stories like this circulate, they are either highly embellished or entirely fake. But that's not the case here. This viral modern-day parable telling how a teacher removed all desks to teach her students about freedom is a true story.
True Story With A Powerful Moral
It gained national attention during Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign. Gov. Huckabee recounted the story in several of his speeches and sometime after that, it gained Internet fame.
WATCH: Gov. Mike Huckabee Recalls Day When Teacher Removed All Desks
Martha Cothren is the daughter of a World War II Prisoner of War. She regularly invites veterans to visit her class and looks for ways to show them appreciation. In fact, in May 2005, Martha and her class held a Vietnam Veterans Recognition Week and thank-you ceremony.
Martha and her students often send care packages U.S. service members serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and write letters to soldiers everywhere. And in 2006, the Veterans of Foreign Wars named Martha Cothren their Teacher of the Year.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Veteran’s Ordinary Visit to Elementary School Ends Up Being Divine Intervention
Martha's lesson also reminds us of our freedom as Christians. It, too, came with a price. A price that was paid when Jesus Christ went to the cross for our sin and brokenness. And that is a sacrifice we should never forget!
"In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace" Ephesians 1:7
LISTEN: Popeyes Restaurant Manager Goes Up to Homeless Woman in Parking Lot
Featured Image Credit: Facebook/Martha Cothren | Pixabay
Mel is the senior writer for GodUpdates, finding, writing and sharing Christian, uplifting, and health-related stories from around the world. Mel has a passion for writing and graduated with a degree in English from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia. When she’s not researching and writing stories, Mel is very active in her church. You can usually find Mel playing board games with her husband and two young girls, giving someone a hug, or hunting down a good cup of coffee!
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Comfort When Grief Feels Overwhelming - Your Daily Prayer - November 5
Grief can strike hard out of nowhere, and during the holiday season, it can be especially painful. But even in the heaviest moments, God offers His peace—a peace that surpasses all understanding.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Comfort When Grief Feels Overwhelming - Your Daily Prayer - November 5
Grief can strike hard out of nowhere, and during the holiday season, it can be especially painful. But even in the heaviest moments, God offers His peace—a peace that surpasses all understanding.
Past Stories
- Donny Osmond Sees the 'End of the Tunnel' Coming After Performing for Over 6 Decades
- An Iguana Hitches a Ride on a Garbage Truck in Tennessee, Now Trying to Find Its Owner
- 6-Year-Old Starts 'Poop Scooping' Business to Help Animals and Adopt One of His Own
- Bride's Dad Drops During Father-Daughter Dance, but Things Lined up Perfectly to Save His Life
- Young North Carolina Father Risked His Life To Save a Couple and Dog From a Sinking Truck
- UPS Driver Jumps into Action As He Spots Elderly Woman on the Ground & Says It Was All God
- Rescuer Braces for the Worst After Spotting Kitten on the Side of the Road, Then Sees a Paw Move
- AJ Griffin Gives Up High-Paying Career with NBA to Follow God
- These Former Conjoined Twins Finally Go Home After Their First Birthday
- Teenager From Iowa Uses His Flying Skills to Help Hurricane Helene Victims
- Son Saves For 9 Months and Surprises Mom By Paying Off Her Mortgage
- Woman's Home is Surrounded By 100 Raccoons, and They Aren't Leaving Anytime Soon
- Dog Saves Her Owner's Life By Sitting in the Middle of the Road
- Widower Shares the Last Thing His Wife Told Their Son Before She Passed Away From Cancer
- A Nurse Saved Her Life 35 Years Ago, Now, She is Surprising Her With a Visit
- These Twin Sisters Have An Important Message To Share On Their 102nd Birthday
- This Brave 5-Year-Old Saved Her Mother's Life By Calling 911
- 79-Year-Old Broke Her Ankle After Scattering Her Mom's Ashes, Then Strangers Save the Day
- Dad Travels Through Mud and Debris to Walk His Daughter Down the Aisle
- Owner's Trip to the Vet with Unwell Dog Results in the Craziest X-Ray
- After Getting Lost in Yellowstone, This Precious Cat Made His Way Back Home To California
- Mom's Funny Response To Daughter's Dirty Sock On The Floor Goes Viral & Ends Up Doing Good
- A Kidnapped Boy Is Found After 70 Years and Reunited With His Family
- This Puppy Was Found With a Note That Read 'Help Me,' Now He's Looking For a New Home
- Excited Mom Couldn't Wait to See Son's Back to School Pictures, but Funny Results Make Her LOL
- When This Police Officer Pulled Her Over, He Changed Her Life Forever
- She Just Met Her Vietnam Veteran Father After 50 Years, Now He is Walking Her Down the Aisle
- Fearless Father Waits on Porch to Catch the Stranger Peeking in His Daughter's Window
- This 5th Grade Teacher Eats Lunch In the Cafeteria Every Day
- Amy Grant Has a New Perspective After Losing Her 'Superpower' in Bike Accident
- 'God Did It' Says 18-Year-Old After Waking Up From a Coma Following a Crash
- These Four Sisters Share a Birthday, Which is Quite the Miracle
- Dad Harmony Sings a Beautiful A Cappella Rendition of ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love'
- Couple's Outstanding Boogie Woogie Dance Performance
- Siblings’ Cover of Dolly Parton’s Classic ‘I Will Always Love You’ Is Incredible
- Pastor and Wife Were Killed in a Car Accident, But Their Kids Have a Message of Hope
- Outstanding 'Amazing Grace' Cover Music Video by Celtic Woman
- Carrie Underwood Helps With Leading Worship at Tennessee Church
- 8-Year-Old Kid's To-Do List Goes Viral As a Wholesome Reminder for Us All
- 'Holy Forever' Lyric Video by Chris Tomlin and CAIN
- Elementary Teacher Talks About the Power of Words and Kindness By Using Toothpaste
- Prayers Pour in for Loretta Lynn's Family After the Death of the Late Singer's First Grandchild
- Dennis Quaid Singing 'On My Way To Heaven" is an Inspiring Performance
- Charming Elderly Couple Share Sweet Dance to 'Have You Ever Seen The Rain?"
- Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick Adorably Sing a Sassy Duet to Celebrate 36 Years of Marriage
- Rory Feek Performs Beautiful Tune 'I Do' After Finding Love Again
- Driver Shows Up to Deliver Pizza to Elderly Man's House, Then Comes Back with His Lawnmower
- What Parents & Grandparents Don't Know About 'Easy' Recipe Trend Could Be Dangerous
Top Music Videos
The Statler Brothers 'Til the Storm Passes By' The Statler Brothers Live Performance
Anne Wilson Anne Wilson’s Powerful Live Performance of 'The Cross'
Brad Stine Has Issues Brad Stine’s Hilarious Take on Life After the Wedding
Oak Ridge Boys 'Jesus Is Coming Soon' The Oak Ridge Boys
Cody Carnes Cody Carnes - He Who Is To Come
Blogs
At GodTube, you’ll find daily inspirational videos to lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with God. Popular videos include worship music from your favorite Christian artists, cute videos with adorable kids and animals, hilarious videos from Christian comedians, user-uploaded videos, and clean viral videos to brighten your day.