That was when I learned – when it dawned on me – that in order to help students understand what veterans went through and to appreciate their sacrifices, I had to first teach them so that they knew enough to care and want to ask questions.
Considine: Was this a one-time-only experience, or have you repeated the lesson with subsequent classes? If you have, how have later classes been impacted, even if they know what climax is coming?
Cothren: I have not repeated it, but I certainly would if I could! My problem is that everyone at our school knows the story so it loses the element of surprise, and everyone knows the answer to the question, “why are the chairs missing.” Teachers from other schools have repeated the lesson though, and to similar results, I hear.
Two highlights stand out in my mind from that day when all the veterans came filing in with those desks though. One highlight was the WWII Veteran who was so proud to be there that day. The other was when one of the cameramen, who was there with a local TV station, came up to me with tears in his eyes and thanked me. He said he was a Vietnam Veteran who had never been welcomed home.
It’s just as fresh to me today as it was then. I realized that maybe we couldn’t replicate the lesson from that day, but we could still learn by honoring veterans. In the years that followed we put together a welcome home event for our Vietnam Veterans – we tied yellow ribbons around all the trees at school, set up a Vietnam museum in my classroom, all the kids brought cookies and punch and we had a short program in the auditorium.
Lizy Ayala, Teacher, William Anderson Elementary School, Dallas, TX: What are your suggestions and ideas for elementary school teachers who teach grades 3-5 that would inspire the same level of responsibility, citizenship, and appreciation in our students, that you now find in yours?
Cothren: First, make sure they say the Pledge correctly; there is no comma after ‘one nation.’ Second, contact a VFW or Legion post and ask them what kind of projects your kids could do that would be beneficial. And ask vets to come into the classroom. We learn better when the knowledge we gain is acquired first-hand. Send cards and letters to hospital or overseas and make sure your students learn how to properly address an envelope.
That’s something that caught me off guard – students not knowing how to address a letter; putting their return address where the stamp goes.
Ayala: Do you still have your students send letters and care packages?
Cothren: Yes. In fact when we write and do it properly, we get the most wonderful things….coins, flags, letters back. We have mission flags that were flown on attack missions and one from a secret mission. We rotate the flags and fly them at sporting events at our school. I often call the games as a color commentator, and that’s when I let folks know where the flag we’re flying that night came from. I announce it when we stand for anthem.
We also have military appreciation nights during the year for our different teams to recognize veterans. We take so much for granted. After the WWII generation, we truly have not known hardship. It is a blessing, but unfortunately, until you’re hit with a hardship you don’t realize how much you have. Kids today feel that they are entitled. We’ve got to teach them that we are NOT entitled to the gift of freedom we have been given, it was earned.
The key goal in my life is to help people to understand that we have been blessed beyond belief in this country and that the debt we owe the men and women who wear a military uniform can never be repaid.
HH6 Camo Chix: Former Governor Mike Huckabee’s speech did a lot to get your story out there, how did he hear about it in the first place?
Cothren: One of the organizations I volunteer for was helping out at a picnic at the Governor’s mansion. I had recently been named Arkansas Veterans’ Teacher of Year, so I was introduced to the Governor. A friend pushed me to share my story, saying, “Tell him what you did!” So I told him the story. He asked me to write it out and send it to him, and promised to share it. He said he was going to make sure everyone heard my story.
“Right…,” I thought to myself, but I wrote out the story (I still have a copy) sent it to him and never gave it another thought. Later, when he was running for office, I was so shocked when a teacher told me she had seen me on television the night before. “Mike Huckabee told your story!” she told me. And then the emails started circulating. At first, the story that was being passed around didn’t have my name on it. A friend from the capital sent me the story by email saying it had made her cry, and that I needed to read it, it’s something that I would want to try in the classroom!” I wrote her back and said, “I hate to tell you, but that was me.
I never imaged, when Mike Huckabee said he would tell the whole country my story that he would actually do it.
HH6 Camo Chix: Folks love to read about meeting famous people, so we have to ask, has your story been shared by other notable or famous individuals?
Cothren: A radio personality in Washington DC who, after telling my story, called me and I was live on the air. I received some wonderful letters from famous people. Lee Greenwood, who sings “God Bless the USA” wrote to say that he had shared my story, and I get lots of letters, even from overseas, from people who have shared the story. And I can’t tell you how many troops have written or emailed me to say thank you.
HH6 Camo Chix: Is there anyone you’d really like to meet or hear from?
Cothren: Oh yes, I really want to meet John McCain. Mike Huckabee said he’d help me meet him, but I didn’t get to do it yet. Someday, I hope!
So there you have it, “the story behind” the Martha Cothren story.
If you find her story inspirational, won’t you please help us honor this dedicated teacher by passing along this article and sharing her lessons?
One last thing…
Should anyone reading this happens to know Senator John McCain, would you mind passing along a message? There is a history teacher in Little Rock, Arkansas who regularly welcomes veterans into her classroom, and we happen to know that she’d love to have him stop by sometime.