story5021.xml
Title
story5021.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-11
911DA Story: Story
I teach World History to ninth graders at Rose Hill
High School in Rose Hill, Kansas. I remember walking toward the office and a teacher said, "the World Trade Center has been hit and is on fire." I asked if it was terrorists and the teacher said it was too early to know. He told me to turn on my room television. I went back to my room turned on my television and watched with horror as history unfolded before my very eyes. At about the time my planning period was over, my first class of that day began entering the room and we watched incredulously as the second plane hit; and as the first tower collapsed we watched and absorbed the seemingly unreal scenario as it grew in shock and horror. When the second tower collapsed, another class witnessed World History as never seen or witnessed before.
We continued to watch television the entire day of September 11, 2002, and we continued to see incredibly grisly images of our fellow Americans who succumed to the whims of terrorists. We also witnessed American tenacity; the will to assist others, and the will to survive. This was a history lesson for the ages, we didn't read about it, we didn't view it on a video, and we didn't hear it on a casette player.....we witnessed this history live, and we shall never forget it. When we do read about it in our history books it will hold special meaning because we saw it first hand. I had just been instructing my students on the history of the Jews and the Palestinians just before 911 occurred......they now know full well why the USA is so hated by so many in the world of Islam; I hope they will also always remember that those kinds of people who do such heinous things are a very small group of depraved misled people.
Sincerely,
Rocky Stone
World History Teacher
Rose Hill High School
Rose Hill, Kansas
High School in Rose Hill, Kansas. I remember walking toward the office and a teacher said, "the World Trade Center has been hit and is on fire." I asked if it was terrorists and the teacher said it was too early to know. He told me to turn on my room television. I went back to my room turned on my television and watched with horror as history unfolded before my very eyes. At about the time my planning period was over, my first class of that day began entering the room and we watched incredulously as the second plane hit; and as the first tower collapsed we watched and absorbed the seemingly unreal scenario as it grew in shock and horror. When the second tower collapsed, another class witnessed World History as never seen or witnessed before.
We continued to watch television the entire day of September 11, 2002, and we continued to see incredibly grisly images of our fellow Americans who succumed to the whims of terrorists. We also witnessed American tenacity; the will to assist others, and the will to survive. This was a history lesson for the ages, we didn't read about it, we didn't view it on a video, and we didn't hear it on a casette player.....we witnessed this history live, and we shall never forget it. When we do read about it in our history books it will hold special meaning because we saw it first hand. I had just been instructing my students on the history of the Jews and the Palestinians just before 911 occurred......they now know full well why the USA is so hated by so many in the world of Islam; I hope they will also always remember that those kinds of people who do such heinous things are a very small group of depraved misled people.
Sincerely,
Rocky Stone
World History Teacher
Rose Hill High School
Rose Hill, Kansas
Collection
Citation
“story5021.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed December 13, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/18622.