As soon as anyone says September 11 or 9/11, I instantly flashback to the classroom of my sixth grade English and spelling teacher, Mrs. Piker. I remember the spelling test I was taking (“soph-o-more…junior…”) and even the pencil I was tapping against the desk.
That spelling test was long forgotten as the Team A math teacher, Mr. Weaver, ran through the door and broke the near silence by saying, “A plane just flew into the World Trade Center.” As sixth graders, we might not all have known exactly what the World Trade Center was, but we all knew that what had happened was bad. Mr. Weaver looked like he was going to vomit. Mrs. Piker’s face was white. Pencils dropped around the room. Mr. Weaver whispered something to Mrs. Piker and went back to his classroom where he had been playing the news. Mrs. Piker didn’t turn her TV on.
We spent the rest of our classes that day watching the news. Everything stood still. When were heard that a plane had crashed in Shanksville and Mr. Catrillo, the geography and history teacher, explained just how close that was, a few kids started crying. Parents came and picked up their sons and daughters. I rode the bus home. I walked through the door and went to find my dad. He was also watching the news. The three of us – my mom, dad and I – watched the news the rest of the night.
I’m not the only one with such vivid memories. There are many who have memories more vivid than mine. Howard County schools have implemented new initiatives to remember and educate about the September 11 attacks. Both of these programs, Change to Remember and Remember to Change, are both brilliant ideas.
Change to Remember collects spare change from teachers and students to donate to buy a commemorative brick for the memorial at Ground Zero.
Remember to Change is a program that encourages students and families to participate in performing good deeds and supporting charitable causes.
These programs help to educate about the terrorist attacks ten years ago and bring about awareness. The subject is one that would be difficult for younger children. Many of these children were either very young or were not even born. My own sister, a nearly eleven-year-old fifth grader, was barely a year old on September 11, 2001. The sensitivity that these programs allow in teaching about the attacks makes them age appropriate and something that I would like to see used in other schools as well.
[…] also enjoyed Kiley Fischer’s post on a 9/11 article because I remember talking about the censorship of the 9/11 attacks in schools. I’ve only […]
I remember exactly where I was and the events of that day- I can’t remember anything about the day before or after but 9.11.2001 is etched in my brain with vivid detail. We all lived through something horrible but we banded together as a nation and were made better for it.
What amazes me is the kids now can only learn about the attacks like we learned about the JFK assassinations. I think, it’s because I still feel like a kid and I’m not ready to admit that the attacks are part of history yet. To me, it’s still something that happen in the present and is affecting the world everyday, despite happening 10 years ago.
This was very nicely written. I’m sure almost anyone who reads this could relate to your situation in one way or another. I feel as though a blog like this is a great way to express grievances and the process of starting over during the tenth anniversary of September 11.
[…] so far, I will be able to get going on what I need to, to really fulfill the interaction. However, Kiley’s post on 9/11 did inspire discussion in class and later, as we made our way to the Flight 93 memorial. The […]
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