September 11th
I was recently talking to one of friends about the events on 9/11/2001. She lived in Canada at the time and I was wondering if it was as big of deal there as here in the United States. I think most Americans who were old enough to understand what was going on still know where they were when the tragic events took place.
I was a freshman in high school who honestly was pretty oblivious about what was going on around me but I can still picture what happened when I learned about the planes hitting the twin towers and the overall feelings around me. I lived in the west coast and did not listen to the news prior to school. In fact, I only learned about it once I sat down in first period. My first class of the day was “Careers” class that was taught by a man who also tan the Shop program. I look back on his class fondly as he was pretty laid back and kind of a no nonsense teacher. We got absolutely nothing done that day in class. We all sat in silence, which was not like that class at all! You could feel the weight in the air.
My mom later told me when she learned about the tragedy, she called the school and ask if school was continuing or if the kids would be sent home. She was scared that something would happen in one of the major city’s by us. It was a terrifying feeling her.
My aunt worked next to an airport and the airport closed. All flights were cancelled; there was even a large “x” placed on the runways. It felt like the world stood still.
When I asked my Canadian friend, she said there were only two things in history that she will always remember where she was; one is when Kurt Cobain died and 9/11. She was sitting in the office at work and when the news broke everybody stopped. She also felt the weight on the events despite not being an American.
Today marks the 23rd anniversary. There are people younger than that that have kids! (Which makes me feel super old) I truly believe that if we don’t learn from what happens in the past we will suffer as a civilization. I have been teaching about the events that occurred on September 11th to my daughter for many years now. We read books or watch documentaries on the events each year and discuss what consequences the attacks had on our nation.
This year we will be reading my favorite picture book about that day, Fireboat.
It is a story about a boat that helped bring water to the island of Manhattan. How an old, retired fire boat that had been decommissioned helped say lives. Despite being told the boat will never fight another fire, the Harvey was a pivotal part in fighting the fire at the Twin Towers. It is a great reminder that every person makes a difference in the world, no matter how old.
We will also be reading, What We’re the Twin Towers.
I like these books as they give a brief overview of the story and are quick to read. I plan to discuss the story and see what new details D learned from this book.
We did not lose any family that day. However that day inspired many many people to join the armed forces including my husband. It is our job to make sure that we a nation never forget the tragic events that day.