On 9/11

As the media remind us incessantly of the upcoming anniversary, I remind myself that most of the students I teach were not even born ten years ago. How do we talk to kids about the unthinkable? What was it like at Paideia, 10 years ago on this day?

It is a cliche that we all remember where we were... But what did we say to the children?

I remember our newly-appointed elementary coordinator Mary Lynn coming to me that morning, asking me to talk about it with my next two classes, before they went to recess: bad news, badly distorted, travels fast on the playground. Rumors fly. We needed to make sure our students felt safe and protected here at school. I did my best. I watched children struggle to make sense of it as they asked, "Will they attack Atlanta?" "Did any of the people get out of the building?" "I bet they're getting ready to use a nuclear bomb." A few young conspiracy theorists were already attributing the atrocity to enemies like Russia and China.

Lynda, a teacher of 8 & 9 year olds, recalled the children asking, incredulously, "TOURISTS did that? Why would tourists do that?" They reached for the only recognizable word they could; the word terrorists has now become part of their vocabulary. A few panicked parents rushed into classrooms and pulled their children out of school, but most of them trusted us to care for their children. I was honored.

I am still moved to tears by the eloquent response of Mr. Rogers:

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' Mr. Rogers is my model and my hero.

I remind students to always look for the helpers. After any bad or scary event, like a hurricane or an earthquake, helpers come out and offer comfort. They dig through rubble, pump out basements, and provide pizza and cookies. They ALWAYS come. This, then, is the core of how I am talking to children from grades two through six this week. Two poignant books help me share this message:


Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey. A fireboat, launched in 1931, retired after many years of fighting fires along the Hudson River. The Harvey, headed for obscurity, is called into urgent service on September 11: "John J. Harvey, Where are you? We need you! WE NEED YOU!"
The Harvey and a valiant crew pumped water for four straight days and nights. With saturated and dramatic illustrations, Fireboat reminds us that you're never too small or unimportant to help.


14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy. A young man from Kenya, who has been studying in the U.S. to become a doctor, returns home to his small village in Kenya. The children ask for stories and he tells them he has only one, which "burned a hole in his heart." He tells them of the 9/11 attacks. In a show of compassion and strength, the villagers make a gift of 14 cows to the U.S.: "Because there is no nation so powerful it cannot be wounded, nor a people so small they cannot offer mighty comfort."


Please click on the comments button below to share other titles to help children process the heavy media onslaught; or with other ideas on how to talk about this event.