story11352.xml
Title
story11352.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2005-03-27
911DA Story: Story
I am a United States History teacher on Long Island about 45 miles east of Manhatten.
Just before 8:55am, an English teacher, Joe Ippolito, a great English teacher and a guy with a great sense of humor, passed my room with a comment, "a plane just crashed into the World Trade Center." He spoke those words without the usual smile and twinkle that he usually has in his eye. I knew immediately he was not kidding.
I looked out the window and saw the most beautiful day.... bright blue sky without a cloud. Logic told me that planes do not fly into buildings with today's technology.
Three of my football players were in my class. They pretty much ordered me to go "find out if it is true." I walked quickly to Room 112 where the teacher was hooking up his cable TV. He turned on the TV about 15 seconds before the second plane hit the south tower.
It was a very long walk back to my room. I wanted to cry, but knew i couldn't. I wanted to scream, but I knew i couldn't. I honestly don't know how long it took me to walk the maybe 100 feet to my room. It felt like a long time.
My players knew instantly that something was very wrong. I told my class that it was a day that we will never forget....a day where the world changed. Both towers were hit and burning.
Honestly, the rest of the day, and pretty much the rest of that week are a blur.
Thank you for letting me write this.....
Social Studies Teacher
Central Islip High School
Long Island, New York
Just before 8:55am, an English teacher, Joe Ippolito, a great English teacher and a guy with a great sense of humor, passed my room with a comment, "a plane just crashed into the World Trade Center." He spoke those words without the usual smile and twinkle that he usually has in his eye. I knew immediately he was not kidding.
I looked out the window and saw the most beautiful day.... bright blue sky without a cloud. Logic told me that planes do not fly into buildings with today's technology.
Three of my football players were in my class. They pretty much ordered me to go "find out if it is true." I walked quickly to Room 112 where the teacher was hooking up his cable TV. He turned on the TV about 15 seconds before the second plane hit the south tower.
It was a very long walk back to my room. I wanted to cry, but knew i couldn't. I wanted to scream, but I knew i couldn't. I honestly don't know how long it took me to walk the maybe 100 feet to my room. It felt like a long time.
My players knew instantly that something was very wrong. I told my class that it was a day that we will never forget....a day where the world changed. Both towers were hit and burning.
Honestly, the rest of the day, and pretty much the rest of that week are a blur.
Thank you for letting me write this.....
Social Studies Teacher
Central Islip High School
Long Island, New York
Collection
Citation
“story11352.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed December 10, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/16880.