Monday, November 11, 2013

Rembrance Day/Veterans Day November 11th

Veterans Day is an official United States holiday which honors people who have served in armed service, also known as veterans. It is a federal holiday that is observed on November 11. It coincides with other holidays such as Armistice Dayand Remembrance Day, which are celebrated in other parts of the world and also mark the anniversary of the end of World War I. (Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when theArmistice with Germany went into effect.)



Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day or Armistice Day) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries since the end of World War I to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. This day, or alternative dates, are also recognised as special days for war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth countries. Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to recall the end of hostilities of World War I on that date in 1918. Hostilities formally ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month," in accordance with the Armisticesigned by representatives of Germany and the Entente between 5:12 and 5:20 that morning. ("At the 11th hour" refers to thepassing of the 11th hour, or 11:00 am) World War I officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919.


Remembrance - I like this Canadian teacher's powerful message!

Back in September, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies school teacher at Bobcaygeon (north of PeterboroughOntario) public
 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 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 desk-less classroom, Martha Cothren said, '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. 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) 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 timein 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.'

By the way, this is a true story.
  

LEST WE FORGET - WEAR A POPPY TO SHOW YOUR RESPECT ON REMEMBERANCE
(VETERANS') DAY (ON THE LEFT SIDE OF YOUR SHIRT ABOVE YOUR HEART- NEVER ON
YOUR HAT OR ANYWHERE ELSE- SHOW RESPECT! )

“You Have the Power to Donate Life – Sign-up today! Tell Your Loved Ones of Your Decision”

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