I was teaching kindergarten at the time. When the first plane hit my husband called me. I had a video monitor in my classroom and played with it and got a news feed I was immediately sure it was terrorism. And then the children entered the classroom. Most of the children weren’t aware of it. When everyone was settled I realized the monitor should be off so I stepped up on one of the small chairs to turn the tv off. Just as I got to the switch the screen showed another plane hitting the second tower. I nearly fell off the chair. I listened to the commentary for a minute then switched off the monitor. I was devastated and I still needed to be my same animated self for the 5 year olds. The kids were fine. They didn’t know. They hadn’t seen anything. But, when the afternoon class arrived that day, they had seen the constant rerunning of the pictures on tv. They thought that it was happening over and over again. They couldn’t stop talking about it. So, I just listened to them talking about it. I tried to comfort them. I told them the news was replaying the clips of the two planes hitting the buildings. But they just came from home where their families were crying and were very upset.
The children talked and talked. Finally, I got them calmed down by having them draw what they had seen on tv. Then, each one of them talked to the class about their own drawing. It was a day I will never forget. First and foremost because of the evil that happened in NYC. And second, observing the loss of innocence in beautiful 5 year old children.
That eerie, dark and sad silence walking thru the loop that evening. I was so relieved that you and Wendy walked with me to the strangest and quietest "drug dinner" ever.
I was teaching kindergarten at the time. When the first plane hit my husband called me. I had a video monitor in my classroom and played with it and got a news feed I was immediately sure it was terrorism. And then the children entered the classroom. Most of the children weren’t aware of it. When everyone was settled I realized the monitor should be off so I stepped up on one of the small chairs to turn the tv off. Just as I got to the switch the screen showed another plane hitting the second tower. I nearly fell off the chair. I listened to the commentary for a minute then switched off the monitor. I was devastated and I still needed to be my same animated self for the 5 year olds. The kids were fine. They didn’t know. They hadn’t seen anything. But, when the afternoon class arrived that day, they had seen the constant rerunning of the pictures on tv. They thought that it was happening over and over again. They couldn’t stop talking about it. So, I just listened to them talking about it. I tried to comfort them. I told them the news was replaying the clips of the two planes hitting the buildings. But they just came from home where their families were crying and were very upset.
The children talked and talked. Finally, I got them calmed down by having them draw what they had seen on tv. Then, each one of them talked to the class about their own drawing. It was a day I will never forget. First and foremost because of the evil that happened in NYC. And second, observing the loss of innocence in beautiful 5 year old children.
That eerie, dark and sad silence walking thru the loop that evening. I was so relieved that you and Wendy walked with me to the strangest and quietest "drug dinner" ever.
This morning I took part in a ceremony at our local Fire Protection District. You’re so right; our grief continues, and has become part of us.