With the 22nd anniversary of September 11th behind us, I wanted to touch base on a topic that some schools might be hesitant to teach students about that fateful day. When it comes to 9/11, I’m pretty many of us who are in the educational profession now lived through that dark day in 2001. Like a lot of you, I also lived through that day at 12 years old, seemingly being shielded by my middle school mentor throughout the day whereas other classrooms were showing the destruction in New York and in Washington.
Now, I want to take someone like my middle school mentor and put her in the shoes of a rising and up and coming teacher. You are a US History teacher and your speciality is Special Education students. Part of the curriculum you are required to teach is about September 11th, 2001. You are to teach students about the 4 planes that were hijacked, the notable people and places of that day, the timeline of events, etc.
It’s important to also note that the 9/11 attacks had taken place before today’s current students were born. So, they didn’t have to have the firsthand exposure of living through that day. But, many students do have a relative, a friend or someone they knew who lived through the attacks. They could be an aunt, uncle or even their own parents.
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However, there is something else that teachers need to remember when teaching 9/11 to Special Education Students. There are some students who think it’s okay to make light and joke about the attacks either because they don’t think it’s important or they feel like it’s okay to make fun of the attacks. I actually know of someone who likes to joke about everything and his parents will not take him to the 9/11 memorial in New York because he would just make jokes about it.
One helpful tip is for teachers to make out a contract for students to sign saying that they are not to make any jokes of any kind about the 9/11 attacks, given the serious nature of the subject. I get that because of their autism or developmental difference that they don’t understand serious matters, but it’s important that they learn to be serious if not for a little bit.
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Now, it can also be helpful for students to actually be at the 9/11 memorials and it doesn’t have to be on September 11th itself. When I was a senior in high school, I actually went to Ground Zero and saw the footprints of the two World Trade Center towers that once stood. You can maybe plan the field trip for the end of the school year (most likely in the spring, late May early June) while also giving the students a chance to learn about the importance of fundraising throughout the school year.
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Wall of victims names at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, which honors the heroism aboard United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001, when terrorist hijackers were thwarted from their plan to crash the plane in Washington, D.C. Forty passengers and crew members died when the terrorist pilot directed the plane downward into a field here. The permanent memorial was dedicated one day short of ten years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks here, in New York, and in Washington.
As for what sites to visit, most schools will visit the 9/11 memorial in New York, but there are other options as well such as the Pentagon Memorial in Washington or the Flight 93 memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
From a neurodivergent perspective, perhaps the best memorial for sensory friendly and special education students would have to be the Flight 93 memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It’s quiet, it’s in the middle of nowhere and it can allow the students to learn in an environment that isn’t sensory overloading. But, that doesn’t mean that students can also visit the 9/11 memorials in New York and in Washington. However, keep in mind that students can be prone to being overstimulated and prone to wandering, given the fact that New York is a very overstimulating city to begin with (apologies to anyone from New York City itself).
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9/11 Memorial at Boston Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts
There are also plenty of smaller 9/11 memorials for sensory friendly students to go to and learn about the attacks. One of the most popular choices in my neck of the woods is a 9/11 memorial on the grounds of Logan Airport in Boston, MA. The two planes that crashed into the World Trade Center, American Flight 11 and United Flight 175 both departed from Boston for Los Angeles on September 11th, 2001 and the memorial honors the victims on both flights.
Now, my one thing is that I don’t know if the memorial is pre security or post security. My hunch is that it you are not required to go through security, which makes it a lot easier for students and teachers. As someone who lives 45 minutes southwest of Boston, I would recommend this for someone who is within a one hour radius of Boston (Schools in Rhode Island and Cape Cod, included).
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Now the last thing that probably goes through the minds of educators is what is the right age to teach special education students about 9/11? Well, my recommendation would be probably waiting until the Junior High School age, around 6th or 7th grade. Some of you may argue that it’s better to teach in elementary school and put 9/11 along the lines of teaching the American Revolution. But 9/11 isn’t the American Revolution given the sensitive nature of the topic.
Students need to learn about important events in American History and Geography, but don’t have students learning about such scary topics right away. As an educator, you are responsible for maintaining the balance between the student’s education and the student’s mental health. That’s what my middle school mentor did 22 years ago by keeping my shielded from the television coverage on account of my mental health.
It also is a good idea to maybe do an emergency IEP meeting before discussing 9/11 to decide whether or not it’s a good idea for the student to learn given their mental health and whether they would be interested in learning the full details. It also helps to maybe create a learning plan to maybe cover the small bits and pieces of that day like the 4 flights, the World Trade Center history, the Pentagon history, etc. Educators can also have the idea of maybe teaching students about pieces of 9/11 during a student’s respective grades. An example would be for the high school level:
Grade 9: 9/11 Flights (Airports, Hijackers, Important People Aboard the Flights such as Passengers and Flight Crew)
Grade 10: History of the World Trade Center (Notable People/Businesses that were in the World Trade Center) and the Police/Fire response to the attacks
Grade 11: History of the Pentagon
Grade 12: Aftermath of 9/11 (Airport Security, How the World Changed After 9/11)
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In conclusion, 9/11 is something to be taught to today’s students, but when it comes to special education students, there is a way to teach 9/11, but on their level of learning and mental health. Lastly, 9/11 is not something to be taught on just September 11th, but 364 days of the year as well!! We must never forget and we must always remember!!
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Catch you all later!!
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