9-11 … A teacher’s story

ALBANY — I was a kindergarten teacher at Sherwood Acres Elementary. On Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, I was in the classroom when I first heard the news of what had happened that horrendous day. I was like everyone else who will always remember where they were at and what they were doing when 9-11 happened.

The assistant principal came to my door and told me that something horrible had happened and that our country was under attack. She didn’t have all the details, but she wanted me to be aware of the situation. In 2001, classrooms did not have televisions to play live news in them. The only television was in the Media Center. This TV was left on all day so that adults could view what was going on. Some would go and look at what was happening.

I did not want to see what was going on. I did not want my emotions to get out of check. I wanted to be able to conduct class and keep things as “normal” as I could. I did not tell the children because I did not want them to be afraid.

When I got home, I immediately turned on the TV to CNN news. It was breaking news showing the first plane and then the second plane crashing into the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York City. It kept showing the scenes repeatedly. It was almost as if we kept seeing it over and over, then maybe it wasn’t real. But real it was. A day of terror, shock, disbelief, fear, courage, and the human spirit of the American people tested beyond measure.

Total chaos evolved. Fire, smoke and dust particles were everywhere. First responders, firemen, and the police rushed to the scene to rescue our fellow Americans and others from foreign countries that were in the towers. People were running and screaming, trying to escape the evilness that had happened. Our American heroes tried to save as many as they could. Unfortunately, many lost their lives along with those they were trying to save. Courage and bravery upheld them to honor others first before themselves. There were also victims who were in the towers who also showed bravery and leadership in helping others.

There were two airplanes (American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175) that flew into the North and South Towers. A third plane (American Airlines Flight 77) hit one of the Pentagon buildings. A fourth plane crashed into an open field in Pennsylvania. Its target was perhaps the Capitol or the White House. On this United Airlines Flight 93, the passengers fought back and stopped the hijackers from striking Washington. Many phone calls were made on Airfones to loved ones before the charge of “let’s roll” was given. All of the planes had been hijacked to carry out missions of destruction.

President George W. Bush declared that our country was on “high alert” because of the terrorist acts. Almost 3,000 people lost their lives that day. It took 19 hijackers (Al Qaeda members) committing murder-suicide to get their evil missions accomplished. Since the attacks, others have gotten sick or died from the dust and toxins they were exposed to. Both towers collapsed and became “Ground Zero.” Much work had to be done to clear the debris and the remains.

The next day in the classroom, we had open discussions about the attacks. The children couldn’t believe that there were “really bad” people that would do this to our country. Their innocence could hardly conceive what had happened. They had many questions. I’ll never forget when one of my students asked, “Why didn’t they jump out of the buildings with parachutes?” I had to tell him that there were no parachutes there. We talked about how brave the people were and the heroes that tried to save them. Studies have shown that if children draw and write about events and people, it helps them to deal with their emotions. Each child wrote and drew about 9-11. It was amazing that 5- and 6-year-olds could draw with such detail. You could see two buildings, two airplanes, people, fire, and smoke in their drawings.

We had Fall Break the following month. On this break, I wrote a set of seven poems about 9-11. I tried to put my thoughts and feelings into the words I had written. It was like therapy for me. I sent them to Mayor Rudy Giuliani, then mayor of New York City. He had gained national acclaim for his mayoral leadership after the 9-11 attacks. The poems were returned in the unopened envelope. They were never read by him.

The next year, I sent them to Michael R. Bloomberg who became the mayor after Giuliani. He accepted them and sent me a thank you letter for sending him the poetry. It was printed on The City of New York, Office of the Mayor, New York, N.Y. stationery and signed by him. His letter also stated: “On behalf of the city of New York, thank you for your compassion and concern for those affected by the events of Sept. 11th. The outpouring of support we have received from around the world has been a tremendous source of comfort for us all.” I was so excited to receive it from him. My husband had it matted and framed, and it is in our living room.

The next school year, I told my co-worker that I wanted to highlight 9-11 on its first anniversary. She made a beautiful display of the Twin Towers and printed out pictures and names of some of the heroes (first responders, firemen, policemen) who lost their lives that day. They were matted on red, white, and blue paper. The children made hero art pieces. Along with these, my poems, and a copy of my thank you letter were displayed. It was really a moving tribute. I would display it every year in memory of 9-11. Another teacher made a great display as well. She put up “The Real American Idols” and had life-size firemen and policemen artwork displayed.

This will be the 20th anniversary of 9-11. There will be many events throughout our country honoring the victims and heroes of 9-11. I am retired now and will not have a 9-11 display. However, I will have my memories, as all of us will. All of us will have moments of silence and reflection. We will all be hoping that this will never happen again. And as Alan Jackson sings in his song “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)”, we’ll stop and think “Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?”