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 Remembering 9/11 
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I know that not everyone got a chance to share where they were and what they remember 7 years ago today so I thought we could share here.

I was in 9th grade (at Carolina Day School, private school in Asheville) and Homeroom had just started. Going into Homeroom I think I remember hearing whispers of a plane crash or something like that but after a couple of Homeroom announcements our principle came in and said "I want to confirm that an airplane has crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers." I didn't know then what the World Trade Centers were but knew by the concerned look on the teachers faces that it was a big deal. He said "we are not sure if it was an accident but I will update you when I know." We stayed in the room for awhile longer and I think I remember the teachers leaving to go discuss what they were going to do. The students were left to speculate on what could be happening. By then I don't think that terrorism had been mentioned so we talked about how it could be an accident or not. We then had a whole high school meeting in the auditorium (which the whole high school was only about 200-250 students) and Mr. Anderson (our principle) told us that there had been another plane that crashed into the other tower. He explained what he knew and that if any of the students wanted to call their parents to leave that it would be ok. I remember that one of my friend's dad lived in NYC and he was the first of my class to leave. One of my friends who's bother was in the military kept going on about now there was going to a war, and all I could think was, there's no way that would happen. The teachers didn't have "class" for the rest of the day but since a lot of students couldn't leave or their parents weren't aware of what was happening until later, the teachers when back to their respective classroom and listened to the radio or watched the news. My dad (the physics and chem teacher there) played movies for the rest of the day for whoever wanted to watch. I remember sitting in the room across from his and listening to the fuzzy tv that we couldn't get to get a clear picture. I didn't see any footage from 9/11 until that night when I went home.

I think that the teachers handled the situation well. I know that because the school is much smaller than a public school things happened relatively faster but the quick thinking of the principle had the teachers very informed and let the students know that they could do what they felt necessary to be done.

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~Natalie Wolfe


Thu Sep 11, 2008 5:50 pm
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I had much of a similar experience that Natalie did. Our principal made an announcement right after the first plane hit tower number one. Of course, immediately, every teacher turned on the television. How could you, as a teacher, not do that? I remember every single person in the room, even the kids that usually acted up or were disobedient, was glued to the television screen as the events unfolded. It was one of those things that you didn't really want to watch, but you were almost mesmerized. I think the things that most stuck in my head was when we watched the second plane hit. It was live, we watched it happen. Then, the cameras started showing people jumping out of the windows. It was all just horrible. I don't think I thought, at that age, how the teachers were dealing with it and having to keep the classroom together. Talking about it in class made me realize how hard a situation like that really is for a teacher.

Also, hearing that some people in our class didn't find out about the plane crash until 2:00 or later is really sad. I don't know why any teacher would not elect to turn the television on for an 8th (or older) grade class. I agree with some of the class on the argument of not showing the news and images to elementary age children. The situation is just not an elementary teacher's job to explain, at least right as it is happening. I really liked the strategies that some of my classmates said, like sending home a note that stated you didn't discuss the events in class but would at a later time.

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Paige Kathleen Colbath


Thu Sep 11, 2008 7:59 pm
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I walked in to JROTC and First Sergeant had the TV on. After watching for a little bit he told us that there would be years of conflict because of this and he drew parallels from the Vietnam War, from which he was a veteran. It makes me think that 7 years later we're still in Afghanistan. After that we just watched the TV until the principle told everyone to get on with lessons.

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Zach Yokley


Fri Sep 12, 2008 2:20 am
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I remember 9/11 like it happened yesterday. I guess though, in a way, you will always remember events that were history-making. My mom can still remember where she was when JFK was shot. I was in the 8th grade and I was in my AIG English class. My teacher at the time was from Pennsylvania. There was another teacher at the school who was also from Pennsylvania. I remember her coming in to our classroom and calling my teacher out into the hall. When he came back in he told us that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. But as soon as he told us this I had to leave to go to a local elementary school to work at the science fair. I remember that the second plane hit the World Trade Center while we were on our way to Hiddenite Elementary School. When we got to the school, the principal told us to not mention any of the events that have happened to the elementary students. So it was after school before I got to see any of the news and footage that had happened that day.

I am still not sure why the school didn't tell the older students about the events that were happening that day. I can understand though that the kindergarteners through second graders would probably have been very scared and would have wanted their mommies and daddies to be there to hold and protect them.

Last night, I watched "Remembering 9/11" on the TV. It really hit hard last night while I was watching it because all the events of that day still replay in people's minds, as well as in our minds! It is a day that my generation will ALWAYS remember!

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Jessica Mundy


Fri Sep 12, 2008 11:14 am
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I agree with everyone in that 9/11 seems as if to have just happened yesterday. I was in between classes heading to gym my freshman year of high school, when I began to hear rumblings in the hall about some kind of attack on the United States. After actually making it to class, we turned the TV on in time to see the first tower fall. The principal shortly thereafter made an announcement to catch everyone up on what was happening in New York and Washington, DC. It was really hard for me to relate to what was happening since I had never been New York or Washington, DC at that point in my life. However, it still seemed very surreal to me and all of my friends. Having grown up in a very small town, news of a terrorist attack on the nation's capitol and one of the largest cities in the country. It was an event that I'm sure I will be able to share with my children and grandchildren to help them understand what the world was like at that point in time at the turn of the century.

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Wess B. Pasour


Fri Sep 12, 2008 3:24 pm
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This sounds terrible, but I'm so tired of reading or hearing "Never forget 9/11." Who will forget it? I don't think I'll mysteriously wake up one day and say "9/11?! What's that?"

Yes, 9/11 was a tragic event and lots of innocent lives were taken, and I do believe we should commemorate it. However I don't believe it should be a day that instills fear or sorrow. That's what the terrorists would have wanted. When we remember that day, we should remember how our country came together and worked united as a team. We have 9/11 in our hearts, but we still are ignorant and selfish in our actions. Why do we need just 1 or 2 days out of the year such as 9/11 or memorial day to commemorate people who served our nation or to do kind acts? Isn't that something we should do every day? The answer is yes, but we don't...at least not frequently.

I'm priveledged to have a history teacher that turned on the tv the day of the events and allowed history to unfold before our eyes. He did what I admire most- allowed us to talk about our fears and concerns, ask questions, and most of all he remained a real model. He stayed calm and and used challenging events as a learning process. He encouraged "togetherness," offered explanations, and was there to talk, listen, and discuss the events. However, I was in a 9th/10th grade history class so we were all at an age where we could understand and discuss the events. The content also fit nicely within the context of the class. Common events were often assigned for homework or extra credit, so we were already confortable talking about events as they unfolded.

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Heather Lynn Rulifson


Mon Sep 15, 2008 7:53 pm
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9/11 will always stay in our hearts and minds such as Pearl Harbor did for teens during that time period. I will never forget, I was a freshman in high school and in chorus class when I first heard of the terrible events that had happen. Our principal did not come over the intercom until the end of the day of school. Everyone was glued to the t.v. We all watched in amazement and everyone just kept saying over and over,"This cannot be happening." When the second plane hit the other tower I just wanted to break down and cry because I knew so many people would never return home to their families. We stayed in first period longer than normal but then we finally did switch classes. I am glad that my school allowed us to watch the events that were taking place. It was still confusing and no one understood why this was happening, but just by watching it and hearing the news you felt as if maybe you had a little handle of what was taking place. After school everyone was worried that maybe there may be more attacks anywhere. Our principal was telling everyone to go straight home, and so we did. My boyfriend and I went to my house and it was all we could do not to stay glued to the television taking in all the tragic events that had unfolded that day. It was terrible and horrific, but America was forever changed by it and for the better I believe.

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Casey Davis


Tue Sep 16, 2008 12:03 am
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I was in seventh grade, attending Valley Springs Middle School. It was a normal day for me, and I was all smiles. I remember my teachers saying that it was always nice to come into a classroom where at least one of the students was always smiling.
The first news I heard about the planes crashing into the towers was in band. We all just sat round in these hard black chairs. They remained in formation while everyone tilted their heads back so they could see the television screen mounted to the wall. The television showed images of planes, a city, smoke, buildings, dust, scared people, but I had no idea what it was about. I did not even know, for sure, if we were watching the news or some television show I had never seen before. I did not even know that the world trade center existed. When I left band class I had no new concrete knowledge about music or about the world changing event.
I walked into my second elective class of the day. The class was being a teacher's assistant. I graded papers, organized files, etc. - the not so fun part of teaching. Mr. Douglas, my English teacher, was the instructor I was to be working with for the day. I walked into his classroom...all smiles. The look on his face was devastation. He tried to tell me this is a horrible event. I still was not getting it. I felt bad for smiling that day. That is the one negative feeling that I remember from that day in middle school at Valley Springs. My pure and hopeful mind could not comprehend something so intense and graphic.
It was not until that evening at my home that I finally understood what had happened.

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Lianna Denise Beard


Wed Sep 17, 2008 10:42 am
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My experiences with 9/11 are quite a bit different than that of most other people. I'm a few years older than most of the other students in this class and my experiences reflect that.

I was a junior in high school on 9/11 2001. I was sitting in US history class, doing some sort of busy work, when the phone rang. My teacher answered it, spoke for a second, and immediately turned on the television. We had only been watching about two minutes when the second plane flew into the second tower of the World Trade Center. Our class dropped everything and we watched the towers burn for the rest of the class. After classes changed and second period began, every class with a television was watching the news. It wasn’t until after the end of third period, when all flights had been grounded, the towers had collapsed and it appeared that the worst was over that the school returned to normal. There wasn’t a lot teacher led discussion. No holding hands. No group prayers or moments of silence. Just a lot of questions that none of us could answer. Who did this? Why did it happen? How could it have happened? and the most ominous question of all, Now what?
Everyone mentions where they were and what they were doing when they heard about the attacks. For me, the moment that has stuck with me came a day or two later. I was on a school sponsored retreat that took place right after the attacks. My friend Justin and I were watching the news on the television in the recreation room of the hotel we were staying at. As we look on at the firemen trying to extinguish the fires still burning at ground zero, my friend turned to me and said, “This means there is a war coming. It will be coming soon.â€

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Aaron Ross Jones


Mon Oct 06, 2008 11:15 am
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