9/11

I teach high schoolers. I teach sophomores. I teach history. And every year on 9/11 I spend 15-20 minutes of very valuable early-in-the-year time talking with my current group of sophomores about what 9/11/2001 was like for me. 

Because I was a sophomore. 

Because it was real life for me. 

Because it was horror for our entire country. 

Because sometimes we need to set aside our standardized testing and our stresses to make sure they know everything they need to know, and take a moment to teach them from our eyes. 

Because I want them to self reflect on what they remember. On what they experienced. 

Today was eye opening for me. Today, for the first time in my teaching career, I had this chat with people who were toddlers when 9/11 happened. Yes, they know where they were. But they were 2 or 3. A couple were 4. One, and only one, was 5. A large part of this year's 7th grade class were born into a post 9/11 world. They don't know what it's like I live in a world where there wasn't 9/11. They didn't have to be told what the WTC was when it was attacked. It never was standing for them. 

And today, I reflected on my experience, and showed, as I always do, the today show coverage. It takes Matt Lauer 12 minutes from the time he says on air there is breaking news to the time he says we must suspect that something sinister is going on. And that doesn't include the commercial break they took to tell him and gather their video feed and phone call contact. And I choked back tears. 

I hope you reflected today, particularly in light of the current political sphere, and the tensions the global leaders are under. 

I also hope that you remember that we banded together in support of strangers, because we are Americans. We showed each other love, compassion, and heart. Slowly, as days have gone by, as kids were born, and lives were lived, we have forgotten that compassion. We have forgotten that love. 

Let's all try to find it every day. 

2,996 people died on 9/11/2001 

Let's find that love in honor of them.