Teacher's Challenge

This story truly angered me.

From WISH-TV Indianapolis:

On Sunday the nation will remember with sadness, the fourth anniversary of the terrorist attack on America.

September eleventh, 2001 was a Tuesday. Children were in school, and from that day forward, 9/11 became an evolving educational lesson.

For days following September 11th, 2001, tears flowed in schools as they did everywhere. Some 3,000 Americans were dead and patriotism took center stage at every grade level.

Four years later, the raw emotion has subsided in classrooms. 9/11, and the subsequent war in Iraq have become evolving history lessons.

“Who are the people in Guantanamo Bay and how did they get there? Why are they there? Some of them aren't even from Afghanistan. Some of them went to Afghanistan from other countries like Yemen and stuff, and did what? And fought the United States,” Drew Horvath, Lawrence Central high school teacher, told his constitutional law class.

Horvath has seen a change in students since 9/11. “Previously, when I taught my class, I had to stress the powers of government and justify why the government should limit a right. Now it seems the students take the position that the government should limit their rights, so I spend more time talking about why their rights should be protected,” he said.

Within a year, Indiana history and social studies teachers had textbooks they could rely upon to help them teach about 9/11, but even today, it presents very unique teaching challenges.

Dr. Robert Helfenbein teaches college students how to become history teachers. He says teachers have had to help students understand the complexities and controversies of 9/11

“Teachers, I think, have to do a little bit of here's the facts but also they have to open up to the possibilities to let students ask the questions that clearly are pressing upon them,” he said.

In the lower grades the lessons are less controversial, says Dr. Helfenbein, focusing on the heroes and economics of 9/11.


What a load!

There's nothing "evolving" about what happened on 9/11.

America was attacked by radical Islamic fundamentalist terrorists.

Nearly 3000 people were killed.

Four civilian planes were hijacked. Three slammed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The fourth plane never made it to its target because passengers and flight attendants fought back against the terrorists. That plane crashed in a Pennsylvania field.

The Pentagon burned for two days.

The WTC towers completely collapsed within two hours after being hit. The fires smoldered for months.

It seems pretty clear to me.

Why are teachers finding it a challenge to teach about what happened that day?

I guess it must be tough to find a way to tell kids that this horrific attack on America was something we deserved. It must be difficult to justify evil.

I know I wouldn't be up to the challenge.