story6219.xml

story6219.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-12

September 11 started as any day. I am an occupational therapy practioner that works in the school system. I was looking forward to a trip to the dollar store to help children from our community based junior high program work on shopping skills. I was only at the school a few minutes when someone gave us the news that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. At that time the first thoughts were that is so sad. Thinking it was a small plane and that it was an accident. Now the children start arriving at school. Some teachers have turned on T.V. sets and we see the second plane hit the other tower. It was such a feeling of despair. Something really bad is happening but we don't know enough about what is happening to share information with the school children yet. The principal sends a memo that says he too only knows what is being broadcast, and continue school as normal, and we will get updates throughout the day. I call my own daughters highschool and ask if they are taking any different steps, should I come get her, are they informing the students what is happening? They inform me some parents are picking up there students but there is no need to. The teachers at the school I am working at make a decision to go on our community trip as planned. We are on the way to the store when an announcement comes over the bus radio telling all buses within the Chicago city limits to get out of the city. Now it is coming even closer to home. We do go to the store, there is no one on the roads every shop owner is glued to the radio or T.V. We head back to school. At this time for the kids that are left at the school (many parents picked there kids up)it is decided to bring T.V.'s into the classroom and share information with the students. It was difficult there were many questions but I think it was important for them to be a part of what was going on. At my daughters school they decided not to let them watch T.V. I understand why they did this but since they were highschool students it was very confusing for them. They were hearing enough chatter in the hall that terrible things were happening but were not given enough information to comprehend what was occuring. We as many Americans spent the next days getting every bit of information we could, mourning the loss of our citizens and wanting action on those who could have done such a thing. Since the 9/11 event a year ago we went to Chicago to see the exhibit of photos taken at ground zero. It was moving and there was such a connection to others that were there. It was like a wake and everyone there was part of a family to remember the victims. Then we went to New York City and went to ground zero. Again it was a feeling of connection, a feeling of empathy for the victims families, trying to image how they feel and knowing that it could be any one of our own families that this could have happened to. As a country we must stay strong, stay connected, never forget, and never let this happen again.