In Remembrance

Today in my Texas History class we are not talking about Texas History. We are remembering 9/11 today. It is so strange to think that my 7th graders were just preschoolers when 9/11 happened. So many of them really cannot grasp what a tragic day it was for our country. I was even shocked by the complete lack of knowledge that some of my students had about 9/11. I found myself telling the story to some amazed little faces. It is so difficult for them to imagine what that day was like. Some remember bits and pieces, but most of them have no memory of the actual day at all.

I remember it vividly, as I am sure most adults do. I was going through a First Aid and CPR training for my internship in college at Baylor in Waco. Before the training had started, my boss had told me that a plane had crashed into one of the World Trade Center twin towers. Like everyone else at the time, I thought it was a terrible accident. While we were sitting the the training, another staff member kept coming into the room to talk our instructor and we could tell something was wrong as our instructor appeared more and more distracted. Finally after both towers fell, the staff member came in and told us what was going on. He said we would reschedule the rest of our training and we were dismissed. I went home and with my friends, we sat in front of the TV and watched the horror unfold on the news. My boyfriend at the time was working in downtown Houston. I remember him calling to tell me that all of downtown Houston had been evacuated.

I hope that the short video are watching in class today and our discussion will help my students understand better the events of that terrible day in history. Judging by their faces, I think they get it now.