Teachers try to make 9/11 relevant to kids born after 2001

EVERETT — Students used to remember.

Then they couldn’t anymore. They would have been too young at the time. Still, it was part of their personal timeline, a piece of those first formative years.

This year, the deadliest terror attacks on U.S. soil have passed from childhood memories to become history lessons. Most high school freshmen were born after Sept. 11, 2001.

Sunday marks 15 years since terrorists hijacked four airplanes and killed nearly 3,000 people, most of them at the World Trade Center in New York. The class of 2020, which started school around Snohomish County this week, is made up of mostly 14- and 15-year-olds.

How teachers around Snohomish County approach the topic of 9/11 varies. Some won’t talk about it until spring, when their lesson plans veer toward modern events. Others have discussions and assignments planned during the first weeks of school.

Though students don’t remember, adults in their lives do. Students can gather firsthand information about how 9/11 has shaped the America they are growing up in.

Heidi Lambert has taught ninth-graders for 10 of her 19 years as a teacher. For her classes at Cavelero Mid High in Lake Stevens, she does a two-day project on 9/11. She shows video clips and plays recordings of personal accounts as an introduction. Then students interview a parent or another adult. They share those stories and research at least one different perspective. She’s had a student talk about their dad, who was a flight tour guide in New York and was ordered to land early on the day of the attacks. Another did extensive research on a dog that was rescued from the rubble. Some have chosen to focus on airline security or Middle Eastern perceptions of the U.S.

“I want them to see that depending on whose eyes they see it through, there’s more to the story,” she said. “I’ve had more kids than parents say thank you for bringing it up and having us do something with it. I think it does resonate with them.”

When she started teaching ninth grade, students could remember 9/11. They no longer remember, but they still wonder why the attacks happened. She gets some tough questions.

“What have we done that would cause someone to hate us so much that they would want to hurt innocent people?” Lambert said. “I can’t answer that question.”

She compares it to her experience learning about Pearl Harbor. She heard pro-American and anti-Japanese sentiment. It took time for her to see other aspects of the story. She realized how nuanced a national tragedy can be. She wants students to seek out those nuances.

Jay Schilaty, a social studies teacher at Arlington High School, also assigns students an interview with a parent or family member. He teaches world history and American government to sophomores and seniors.

“You see all these kids coming through now and they weren’t even alive when it happened,” he said. “When I’m talking to some of them, it’s like talking about the French Revolution, it’s just another bit of history. We want them to talk to people who experienced this, who woke up that morning and realized that every channel was the skyline of New York.”

It’s important to open up a dialogue between students and parents, he said. As a teacher, he views his role as staying objective and sparking conversations. He’s heard teens make hateful comments about Muslims or people from the Middle East. That can be hard to address, he said. He’s been impressed by how willing young people are to listen and broaden their perspective when given the chance.

“It’s important for us to understand how we got where we are,” he said. “To me, the whole point of learning history is to learn how we can do better.”

Teachers in the Everett district draw parallels between 9/11 and other events, said Steve Johnson, a history teacher at Jackson High School and chairman of the social studies department. He’s teaching sophomores and juniors and works with his colleagues on curriculum. They don’t dodge difficult topics, such as how the United States has balanced or failed to balance personal liberties with national security. They compare the fear of Communism during the Cold War to the fear of Islam after 9/11.

“We try to impress on them that this was a pretty unprecedented event and how cruel and sudden and tragic 9/11 was in American history,” he said. “I don’t think anyone would doubt that it ushered in a new era. What that era looks like and what it means is still unfolding.”

He encourages adults who are talking to their children about 9/11 to focus on the hard questions but also to talk about the hope and unity many Americans felt and the stories of courage and personal sacrifice.

“Out of great tragedy often come some of our finest moments,” he said. “That’s a constant American theme.”

Lambert plans to circle back to 9/11 later this year to focus on how the definition and perception of terrorism has changed and how it has shaped American culture over the last 15 years. She wants young people to understand that just because an event happened before they were born doesn’t mean it isn’t part of where they live and who they are.

“I think you have to tell the story,” she said. “We should always remember. It’s indifference that is really the dangerous player here.”

Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.

The National September 11 Memorial &Museum offers advice on how to talk to children about 9/11:

Listen to their thoughts and validate their emotions.

Don’t force a discussion.

Don’t shy away from difficult conversations.

Ask open-ended questions such as “What would you like to know?”

Use age-appropriate language and reassure children of their safety.

Answer questions with facts. Find reliable resources to clear up contradicting information.

Be prepared to answer questions about death.

Acknowledge that you don’t have all the answers.

Be specific. Avoid stereotypes.