Time flies

My students and I were looking at the September calendar and writing down important events for September. There was a red, white, and blue ribbon on September 11, and they were asking me why. It hit me like a brick wall. They were two and three years old when 9/11 occurred. What a responsibility I have!

I had one book on my shelves. Unfortunately, it was a Life magazine book. The pictures were incredible and horrifying. Way too much for fourth grade digestion. So, I am on a quest to find or create a way to commemorate 9/11 at this grade level. I truly think, like the attack on Pearl Harbor, it should never be forgotten. However, they do not need to see pictures of people jumping out of the Twin Towers. I know when I looked at those photos, it brought a lot of the emotion of that day back. Each year on or around 9/11, I take time to speak with my classes. I share what I was doing the day it occurred and how scared everyone was. They need to know. They need to remember. They need not be frightened, just vigilant.

But that's an interesting shift in our society as well. When I was 9, I knew what had happened at Pearl Harbor and why December 7 was significant. I did not know all the details, but I was not completely ignorant of it. I see our generation as one that is neglecting oral tradition, letting the mass media "create" history, and raising large amounts of children who are destined to "repeat history." So, off I go to Google!