9/11 SHOCKER

As adults many of us woke up this morning and knew exactly where we were this day seven years ago. At work many are dressed in red, white, and blue and some offices even observed with a moment of silence. However, today in elementary school the mood was much different.

I teach two separate blocks of fourth graders, a total of 48 children. With each class I wrote the following on the board:

Today is an important day in American history. Why?

I had them write their responses on paper and I was shocked by what I later read!

Out of 48 students, only 7 of them had any idea why September 11 was an important day in American history. One answer even said, "Today is important because it is Thursday which means the weekend is almost here." I was shocked! While I do realize that most of them were only two years old when this tragedy took place, I was really saddened by their ignorance. I dug a little deeper and was even more shocked to learn that about one-third of them had never even heard of the World Trade Center or Twin Towers! I pulled up video of the attacks on-line and many children gasped in horror when they witnessed the towers falling. My next question was, "For how many of you is that the first time you remember ever seeing that?" A total of 26 children raised their hands! Again, shock. Our military men and women continue to fight this war, and the youth of today doesn't even know why or how it all started!
Is it their fault that they don't know? Absolutely not, like I said they were only two when it happened. Ignorance is a horrible disease that if not treated gets passed down from generation to generation. As educators it is our job to not only teach our state mandated curriculums, but teach these children about what is happening in the world and how it affects all of us. I challenge each of you to find a child under the age of ten and ask the same questions I asked. If you get the same answers, take a minute to educate that child and break the cycle of ignorance.
The war on terrorism continues to this day. I salute, applaud, and pray for our troops as well as the families of the victims of 9-11.