lc_story226.xml

lc_story226.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2004-01-08

I was teaching Technology at St. Elizabeth School in Washington Heights, West 187th Street. Our first concern was the safety of our children and we decided at first not to inform the children so as not to scare them. The children we teach are in grades Pre K to 8th Grade. As the situation worsened and we got word of the buildings collapsing, parents started arriving and taking their children home. At that point we said there was a problem with the subways and parents would be picking up their children. We tried to continue as normal a day as we could until most of the children had been picked up. I kept in contact with my family through cell phone communication and ascertained their safety. The Principal and Assistant Principal live at the school and they waited with any children who were not picked up.

It was almost impossible to get home as the George Washington Bridge was closed for safety. I decided to cross to the Bronx and take home 3 young ladies who car pooled with me. As we crossed the 181st Street Bridge into the Bronx the scene was surreal. Most people were walking across the Bridge as the buses were stopped. Upon looking towards the lower part of Manhattan I will never forget what I saw. The huge columns of smoke that covered the sky coming from where the World Trade Center buildings had stood. We couldn't help but think of all the people in the buildings and we prayed for them.

We are all at a different awareness about terrorists and the dangers we face. We are more alert but are resigned to the fact that we want to continue to live our lives to the fullest and enjoy every day we have.