I know this is a day late, but I'm posting it anyway. I really like this and for more details on this teacher, you can read about it on http://www.snopes.com/glurge/nodesks.asp. As far as I can tell, it's a true story.
Back in September 2005, Martha Cothren, a social studies school teacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock AK, did something memorable.
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 from 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.
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 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 along 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.”
Do You Have Homemaker's Heartburn? by Blair Massey
We all have our "off" days. It goes something like this: You wake up late and you just can't seem to get motivated to do anything. Simple tasks like doing the dishes seem too big to tackle and you don't even want to think about that mountain of laundry calling your name from the laundry room. The kids wear you down and you wish you could escape to someplace quiet. Instead of having a heart that burns to be a great homemaker, you feel more like your heart has a case of homemaker's heartburn. If this is where you're at, it's time for some refueling and refocusing.
Christ or Man?
Ephesians 6:7 "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men..."
It's very easy to become discouraged about your homemaking tasks when you focus on your family as the motivation for what you do. When they make messes, destroy things, postpone progress and cause pandemonium, it is easy to become discouraged and even resentful. But when you focus on Christ as the one you are serving, it puts a whole new perspective on things. Then when you look at the day's tasks you see them as serving Christ, not man. It is the Lord who has given you your role as the manager of your home and it is Christ who you are serving when you serve your family. That's an assignment you can sink your teeth into!
Rested or Burdened?
Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (NIV)
Whenever I feel weary and in need of rest it always helps to give my burdens to Jesus. When I pray for strength He gives an ample supply. When I pray for patience He sustains me. When I need rest He provides it, whether it is through a change of plans or a change of attitude. Life can beat you down but Jesus is there to refuel you when you need it. Take Him up on His offer. You'll find the rest that you need in Him.
Busy or Buried?
Titus 2:4-5 "Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." (NIV)
Often the cause of my discouragement is the mismanagement of my time. I spend way too much time doing things that I really should do after I have my housework completed. Then wonder why I am so buried.
Take a step back and ask yourself if a lack of proper time management is causing housework buildup for you. If the answer is yes, then you need to get busy with your homekeeping. It may seem awkward at first, but if you get your work done when you should, you will have plenty of time to do the things you like to do.
As I always say, "Do what you're supposed to do, when you're supposed to do it and you'll be victorious every time."
We all have times when we fall short of the mark. To get back on track make sure that you focus on Christ, find rest in Him and get busy with your homekeeping. Then your homemaker's heartburn will be transformed into a flame that burns brightly, lighting up your home with the love of Christ.
Christian Lifestyle expert Blair Massey is devoted to helping Christian women around the world get their home, family and life organized. To get your home organized and start living the amazing life you were created by God to enjoy, sign up for her FREE newsletter now at www.christian-homemaking.com
I am a homeschooling mom of four boys and have always homeschooled. I plan to use this blog for discussion on various curriculum, books, read-alouds, organizing and anything else to do with homeschooling. Feel free to add your comments!
