story11428.xml

story11428.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2005-06-03

I was a first-year teacher and new to the Northern Virginia area. In fact, I was on my second week teaching, and my third week living in the state. After we were done saying the "Pledge of Allegiance," our principal noted right before our daily moment of silence that a plane had collided with the World Trade Center. Immediately afterward I turned on the television in the room. We were instructed not to keep the news on and return to instructional time. But how could I? I am a social studies teacher.

My students asked "What is going on?", and "What does it mean?" From our classroom, we could see smoke billowing from the Pentagon just a few miles away. Concerned parents were pulling their kids out of school, despite our lockdown status. I had few answers for the students.

What I remember the most is the speechless shock we all had as my team teacher, the students, and I all sat around the television watching the events unfold, and taking time to say a few quiet prayers while I sat there.