nmah3004.xml

nmah3004.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-10

Hello my name is Eric Hanson. I am a 7th grade geography teacher in Eden Prairie, MN. On the morning of September 11, 2001. I was in my room at school working on my computer and listening to the radio. All of a sudden the people on the radio talked about a plane hitting one of the twin towers. I ran down to our school's media center to see if I could find a TV. On the way down there I ran into a few colleagues and I told them about what I just heard. We ran down to the media center and turned on the TV. Just as we turned on the TV, we saw the 2nd plane hit the 2nd tower. We sat there in awe for several minutes. I then went back to my room to try to get ready for the students. It was a difficult day, because we were told not to talk about it too much in school to get the kids upset, but it was hard since many of them had heard about it already.

I believe it was around the 3rd period that a colleague had stopped by and said that one of the towers had crumbled and that they were expecting the 2nd one to do the same.

Our staff lounge was never so quiet that day and those that followed. We had a TV hooked up in there with CNN tuned in for the remainder of the week.

Although my life wasn't directly affected by the events of September 11, I believe my life has changed in some respects. How couldn't it?

I found myself asking more questions about the parties involved. Osama Bin what? I found myself absored in trying to understand why this happened. There were students in my class who's parents traveled a great deal. I even had a mother of a student of mine who was a flight attendant, and she shared with us the emotional goodbye she had with her son, for her first trip after the attacks.

I have flown twice since then, and I have definitely been more cautious of my surroundings. On my first trip, I was asked to be searched going thru the gates as well as before boarding the plane. Before September 11th, I was a little annoyed if I didn't pass the metal detectors. Now, I'd be happy if everyone were checked before boarding the plane.

It's a difficult task as a 7th grade teacher to discuss this issue in class even one year later. I believe it's something we should never forget, but we should never relive it each year either. The 7th grade students I see each day, are still pretty young. They are very impressionable, and can still get pretty upset fairly easily about this topic. So as much as I feel it a duty to address the topic, I walk on egg shells in how I do it.

Thanks to this web site, my colleagues and I are going to share this with our students in the hope that they will share with you their experiences from a year ago.

I think we need to remember all the innocent people who lost their lives in the towers, Pentagon, and the plane (flight 93?) that crashed in Pennsylvania. We can't forget the brave fire fights and police officers who rushed into the towers to help those still trapped in the towers.

Let's honor and celebrate the lives we lost, without giving any attention to the cowardly people who are responsible for this tragic event. Let their memory live on to fuel the road to peace.

Yes we did fly a flag at our house. I also made sure to make it more visible within my classroom. I find myself trying to wearing the flag more. Whether it is a pin, pendant, or stiched on a shirt. For someone from my generation, who only really has lived thru the Gulf War, I have never taken so much pride in seeing the red, white, and blue, being flown thru out the country and the world.

God Bless America!!!