Teaching September 11

Today is September 11, and every year I do the same lesson for all my classes in remembrance of this event. Surprisingly, I'm one of the few teachers to do anything to observe this day, and I am the only teacher that I know to observe it properly.

What do I mean "observe it properly"? One of the other teachers used 9/11 to talk about why emotion should not be used when making public policy decisions, and then went on to rant against the War on Terror and the War in Iraq. Most teachers though just ignored the event, as if by pretending that it never happened would somehow reverse history.

Today in the New York Daily News, Eamon Stewart wrote a good opinion piece where he talks about these ideas, and I agree with his ideas, which follow (some edits for flow):

Everyone acts as if 9/11 never happened. If 9/11 is brought up at all in any classes today, it is discussed in dry factual terms- numbers, places, and people are mentioned, but they are not real to the students and no attempts are made to make them real. Worse, 9/11 is sometimes presented in Hollywood movie terms, where the events of 9/11 are cast in the context of entertainment. As safe as that all sounds to package 9/11, it's the most irresponsible thing that could be done to preserve the memory of that day.

Educators must acknowledge that Sept. 11, 2001 isn't ancient history. It's a day we all should remember and the lessons of 9/11 are too important not to pass them on to future generations. If children are truly going to comprehend the magnitude of the day, they're going to have to understand the experiences and emotions of the people who were there to witness it - and therein lies the problem with current 9/11 teaching methods.

An article by Jon Wiener in "The Nation" several years ago laid out a list of the most popular textbooks on 9/11 at the time, and he noticed that they all suffered from the same problem - they all focused on the reasons 9/11 happened, rather than convey the impact 9/11 and its aftermath had on individuals.

There is one organization that is taking a more personal approach in teaching 9/11. The September 11th Education Trust has developed a program which draws on the first-person stories of 9/11 to educate and inspire students. The comprehensive program, available to schools next spring, was recently taught for the first time to high school students in New Jersey.

It is probably not possible to make people fully understand what people who were there feel in their hearts. That would be impossible. But I do hope that it makes people remember that beyond all of the hard data, 9/11 is about real people, people who lived and died during a pivotal event. Teaching the lessons of 9/11 is the greatest way to honor those who died that day and to remember that this nation's citizens deserve to know the personal viewpoints connected to the events that have shaped our history.

So how do I teach 9/11 in my classroom that is so different than other teachers? First, class begins with discussion that is supposed to help the students remember their connections to the vents by asking them what they remember from that day. Then we watch the first half hour from a video called "In Memoriam- New York City 9/11/01." I like this video because it does focus on the individuals of this event- it shows raw unedited footage of the attacks. It does not get into the reasons for the attacks or responses to the attacks- instead, it makes students feel like they were there, so they can relive the event, and be a part of this American event. It's a good video- most students are deeply moved by it, and some cry. After the video, the last 10 minutes of class, I ask the students how they feel after watching the movie. It is incredible how much students opinions and memory of the event are changed after this- before, it was a dry event they might have seen some edited footage of- afterwards, they know and understand the event better. They experience emotions such as sadness, grief, disbelief, fear, anger, and pride. And then they understand better why America changed on 9/11.

I hope teachers read this and begin to set aside some time in their classes each year to teach this event. Students remember this lesson, and deeply appreciate it. And the country is better for it.