story2152.xml
Title
story2152.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-10
911DA Story: Story
I clearly remember when I first became aware of what was occurring in NY that morning. It was during our morning recess, when the buzz went through the staffroom. One of our grade 8 classes began their day with an internet update of the world events. This group watched much of the mornings events unfold online. By lunchtime, we had an emergency staff meeting to inform us of the specifics of the events and the school board's directives regarding how we should share this information with our students.
I was a first year teacher, in the classroom for only one week, and now I was being asked to tell my class of 7 and 8 year olds that the world had changed that morning. As I began to share the factual information of the morning, many of my students expressed a variety of responses. As our discussion continued, they expressed fear that the CN tower might be the next building targeted. I spent the rest of the day reassuring them that they were safe, while inside I was full of fear. I couldn't let them know all that I had pieced together, I couldn't politicize the events, I could only state the cold hard facts. As soon as school was dismissed, I logged onto the internet to see for myself. I was horrified as I watched the videos of the impacts. There was a knot in my stomach that wouldn't go away.
Over the next few days, there were numerous discussions in our classroom. The children wanted to know why? Why had this happened to innocent people who simply went to work that morning as any other? Why would anyone choose to die for this purpose? I found that I had no answers. It was the most helpless feeling. I was their teacher, I was supposed to know. I guess that none of us will ever understand.
As we approach the anniversary of this awful day, my hope is that our rememberance and recognition of the loss of this day and the global events since, does not reopen my students fears. With one more year of teaching under my belt, I feel no more prepared to answer thier questions than I did one year ago.
I was a first year teacher, in the classroom for only one week, and now I was being asked to tell my class of 7 and 8 year olds that the world had changed that morning. As I began to share the factual information of the morning, many of my students expressed a variety of responses. As our discussion continued, they expressed fear that the CN tower might be the next building targeted. I spent the rest of the day reassuring them that they were safe, while inside I was full of fear. I couldn't let them know all that I had pieced together, I couldn't politicize the events, I could only state the cold hard facts. As soon as school was dismissed, I logged onto the internet to see for myself. I was horrified as I watched the videos of the impacts. There was a knot in my stomach that wouldn't go away.
Over the next few days, there were numerous discussions in our classroom. The children wanted to know why? Why had this happened to innocent people who simply went to work that morning as any other? Why would anyone choose to die for this purpose? I found that I had no answers. It was the most helpless feeling. I was their teacher, I was supposed to know. I guess that none of us will ever understand.
As we approach the anniversary of this awful day, my hope is that our rememberance and recognition of the loss of this day and the global events since, does not reopen my students fears. With one more year of teaching under my belt, I feel no more prepared to answer thier questions than I did one year ago.
Collection
Citation
“story2152.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed December 27, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/14453.