September 11, Now and Then

The events of the grievous terrorist attack on our nation in 2001 can be seen from many points of view.  Five years ago, I wrote down some of the memories I still have of that infamous day.  Those thoughts appear again, with minor edits, in the left column below.

In the right column is a report about the presentation from my friend, a retired Air Force colonel, last week.  Colonel Lane was in Strategic Air Command with President Bush on September 11, 2001.  His perspective is resoundingly different from my own.

2015

Last week brought another anniversary of the terror attacks in New York and DC, and the failed attack that took a plane down in Pennsylvania.  As parents and teachers, the protective caregivers of precious youths, days like September 11, 2001 really stick out as important, infamous days.  We often find ourselves distraught with everyday obstacles in our lives, but on this day our thoughts were spent on other things.

We worried about our children, their emotional state, and their exposure to life that often crumbles around us.

We worried about our civilization, being reminded of the fragile world.  We were introduced to the idea that even our military had been struck, and our great nation could fall given the circumstances.

We worried about our faith in humanity, our faith in ourselves, and our faith (or lack of faith) in a Deity.

We worried about our lifestyles, realizing that our fuel supply might have been in danger and our monetary system could be disrupted.

So many questions surrounded that day, and too many of them remain unanswered.

All we can do, as teachers and parents, is raise our children, positively affect our children, and love our children with all of our hearts.  We are preparing them not only for tackling district and state tests, but for their futures in an uncertain world.  Is is possible that we don't know what the world will look like in 10 or 20 years?  Absolutely.  We, and our children, must be prepared to be smart in the face of uncertain times.

That does not mean we will live in fear!  Preparation is our defense against such.  Improving ourselves and learning more about the world we've been given is all too important to leave it to chance.  That's one reason I do the things I do.  It's why I am the person I am.  It gives me purpose.

How about you?  Are you contributing to the futures of your children and grandchildren?  If not, why not?  It's not too late to start.  That's the great thing about life - that we can start over any time we choose.  It may not be easy, but it can be done.

2020

Colonel Lane gave us a run-down of the day and then arrived at the moments when, later in the day, he briefed President Bush concerning our military capabilities and the availability of materiel support, along with a time table for the delivery of such.  I didn't catch the first part of his presentation, but I did record most of it in the video below:

Students listened intently to Colonel Lane's account of the day, as well as his experiences in operations in Desert Shield and Desert Storm during the Gulf War. Principal Bozarth and Assistant Principal Garrett joined us for this virtual guest speaker, and they remained after the connection to continue the conversation with students.

One of the things we discussed was those moments we live through in history - those times when we remember where we were and exactly what we were doing when we heard about them.  For me, that starts with the first moon landing, and continues with hearing about Elvis Presley's death, President Ronald Reagan being shot, the Challenger space shuttle explosion, the Oklahoma City Bombing, the Joplin tornado, and of course, the terrorist attack on our country on September 11, 2001.

To write may be the most valuable feedback.  Students know more than what is "on the test".  If I simply ask them questions, I only find out if they know about what I ask about.  After a presentation that interests them, my students can probably remember and tell me more information about a subject than I can.  While it is sometimes difficult to tell if students are listening intently during a presentation, a person has but to open up the floor to free conversation to hear about their interest after the presentation.  This was certainly the case in last week's meeting with Colonel Lane.  I opened things up by having students write creatively or reflectively using what they learned.  Some needed words spelled, and others freely offered to help their peers with facts directly from the colonel.