9/11

Today was the anniversary of 9/11 and its always interesting to hear the perspective of children who were either in preschool or not even born yet. I talked with 6th graders today and their experience and knowledge of the event varied greatly. I could tell that they really hadn't talked about it and understood the magnitude of what happened until now. It was as if they were finally able to ask certain questions and be able to understand the answers. We discussed why the towers collapsed, why so many people died, and how people responded in heroic ways that day. I was able to share my own 9/11 experience with them. I think it helped to demystify the event, although I know it's still unfathomable to them and to me as well sometimes. I spent a lot of time trying to explain how large the buildings were, but to children who have no concept of size and living in a small suburban town with nothing that comes close to a skyscraper, that's extremely difficult. Saying that they were really, really big just doesn't cut. I was reminded of how children perceive things based on their cognitive development when the primary teachers (3rd grade and below) complained about how the moment of silence was announced. My principal mentioned words like terrorist, attack, and airplanes, and some of the children thought that she was talking about the present. I'll have to discuss with her about choosing her words wisely.

BBC