Remembering 9-11

Today is the 11th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Towers in NYC.  Every year I remember what I was doing that day and it came to my attention that I really need to record those moments I observed on that day.  I remember looking at this gaping hole in the top of the first tower, as the 2nd tower had not been hit yet, and just wondering, "How are they going to fix that?"  It seemed like such a naive thought since I had no idea that not only would another plane come crashing into the 2nd tower, but they would both come collapsing down, taking hundreds of lives with it.

It was hard to leave the tv screen, but I had just started a new teaching job.  I was the new kindergarten teacher at Candil Hall and though I wanted all the information I could get about the attacks, I knew I couldn't be late for work.  So with a heavy heart and confused thoughts, I headed to the school.  The day went about as normal as a day with 12 kindergartners can be, but there were always some thoughts floating in the back of my head of the towers crashing down, or phone calls being made to my mother in law if we had heard from our brothers John and Peter who lived in the area.  Still, there was a feeling of sadness in the air, almost a sense of lost hope. 

But I do say ALMOST.  Because at the very end of the day, the Lord gave me my own small comfort and assurance that all would be well.  At the end of every school day, I gathered my students on the rug to discuss the day.  What did we learn?  What was the best part of the day?  Who had any problems that day?  It was a chance for the students to share their thoughts and to feel that they have a voice in the classroom and among their peers.  It's not a thought people want to accept, but even in Kindergarten, there are cool kids, nerds, tomboys, and other stereotypes.  As hard as I tried every year to keep my students equal, they all found their niche, based on their strengths and weaknesses.  Little Josh was what you might have seen as an outsider.  A chubby little boy with messy hair and a dirty face (that I would always clean as soon as the mother left the room).  Josh also had a hard time controlling his emotions.  He was very sensitive and opinionated, which rubbed the other students the wrong way.  But I could tell he just wanted to be accepted, and so I tried really hard to teach him how to communicate with the other students.  Now Dylan, on the other hand, was what you would see as the cool kid.  Even as a kindergartner, Dylan just somehow had his act together.  Even his hair was cool.  Slick with spikes in the front.  His hair for some reason made such an impression on me that I do Wyatt's hair the same way and think of Dylan almost every morning as I spike Wyatt's hair.  Dylan wasn't perfect by any means.  We had our moments where he tested my authority, but over all, Dylan was just a laid back kid, who liked to play, was well liked by his peers, and did pretty good work in class.  As I sat with the class on the rug, I asked if anyone had any problems that day to discuss.  It was quiet at first, but then Josh, whose face and hair had somehow gotten messy again, looked at me with his big blue eyes and said, "I had a rough day."  Josh then preceded to explain that on the playground he wanted badly to play with Dylan and another group of boys and for some reason or another was told no.  I invited Josh to explain to the boys how that made him feel.  Now this was quite a risk I was taking.  Josh was able to cry at the drop of a hat and the last thing I needed was for him to have a tantrum as I was dismissing kids into the care of their parents.  But that's not what happened.  Josh and Dylan looked right at each other. Josh calmly expressed how sad it was to be alone on the playground, while Dylan listened intently.  A five year showed more patience then most adults I know.  When Josh finished, Dylan spoke with wisdom beyond his years and not only explained his side of the situation, but apologized for inadvertently hurting Josh's feelings. At this moment, it hit me that these two small children had the ability to forgive and communicate far better than the governments and terrorist groups out in the world who were fighting each other.  And my hope was restored in the future generations of this country.  That though, at that moment, there was so much sadness and mourning to overcome, I was privileged to witness the possibilities of what could happen.