story9187.xml
Title
story9187.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2003-04-14
911DA Story: Story
It was an ordinary day teaching World Geography. I had
completed teaching my first period class and began my
planning break. I was grumbling and stressed. Too many papers
to grade. It was silent for most of that period. Then the door
opened and with it the silence and comfort of an old era flew
out the door.
Hijackers have crashed in New York! Like a reflex, I grabbed
the remote and tuned in to CNN. It was a movie preview of
some kind. A plane. A crash. A fireball. For the first time,
I think there was a collective mental-emotional tether throughout
the nation. We were shocked. The bell rung for third period.
I took the roll and replayed what I had just seen in my mind.
I imagined myself washing and brushing my teeth. I gave my
normal hugs and kisses to my wife and son. I saw the plane as
it crashed into my office, never to see my loved ones again.
I began to shed a tear and my voice cracked. Oh my God, the
horror of it all was beginning to sink in.
How should I handle this in the classroom? There's a buzz in
the room. They all know. It's live. Tragedy as it happens. They're
young but not ignorant. I knew we had to deal with it and so
we began a discussion that eventually led to the images on CNN.
Septemeber 11 is vivid in our minds and hearts. It is a turning
point. It happened. It was real. Now we must deal with the
aftermath. How we handle the perpetrators and their supporters
is crucial, but not as important as how we handle ourselves.
This attack was not only against us, but our way of life, our
philosophy. If we begin the journey towards the suppression
of democracy and civil rights, we might never get them back.
If we engage in prejudice and xenophobia, we may lose our national
dignity. If we give in to fear, we may never remember what
life was like on September 10, 2001.
completed teaching my first period class and began my
planning break. I was grumbling and stressed. Too many papers
to grade. It was silent for most of that period. Then the door
opened and with it the silence and comfort of an old era flew
out the door.
Hijackers have crashed in New York! Like a reflex, I grabbed
the remote and tuned in to CNN. It was a movie preview of
some kind. A plane. A crash. A fireball. For the first time,
I think there was a collective mental-emotional tether throughout
the nation. We were shocked. The bell rung for third period.
I took the roll and replayed what I had just seen in my mind.
I imagined myself washing and brushing my teeth. I gave my
normal hugs and kisses to my wife and son. I saw the plane as
it crashed into my office, never to see my loved ones again.
I began to shed a tear and my voice cracked. Oh my God, the
horror of it all was beginning to sink in.
How should I handle this in the classroom? There's a buzz in
the room. They all know. It's live. Tragedy as it happens. They're
young but not ignorant. I knew we had to deal with it and so
we began a discussion that eventually led to the images on CNN.
Septemeber 11 is vivid in our minds and hearts. It is a turning
point. It happened. It was real. Now we must deal with the
aftermath. How we handle the perpetrators and their supporters
is crucial, but not as important as how we handle ourselves.
This attack was not only against us, but our way of life, our
philosophy. If we begin the journey towards the suppression
of democracy and civil rights, we might never get them back.
If we engage in prejudice and xenophobia, we may lose our national
dignity. If we give in to fear, we may never remember what
life was like on September 10, 2001.
Collection
Citation
“story9187.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed January 8, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/12241.