Where were you on this morning when the plans crashed into the Pentagon, World Trade Towers, and the ground in Pennsylvania? I was living in Austin Texas and I was at work. I did not hear about this until I came in for break and saw it on the TV, as a matter of fact; all TV stations were broadcasting this tragic occurrence.
Now to see this as a headline about a school in Utah or any school for that matter makes my blood boil:
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Utah Schools Will Not Observe 9/11 AnniversarySeveral Utah schools have decided to let Sept. 11, 2007 pass without observing the sixth anniversary of the unprecedented terror attacks against the United States -- over fear of re-kindling the haunting memories for those who vaguely remember them, or introducing them to children who weren't born yet.This year, Sept. 11 falls on a Tuesday for the first since since the actual attacks. But some school administrators believe that commemorating the tragedy may inhibit the ability for students to make forward progress."We don't want our kids thinking about that. We want them to move on,'' said Beth Johnston, principal at East Layton Elementary in Davis County, whose oldest student was just 6 on Sept. 11, 2001. "It might be age-appropriate for older students to acknowledge and talk about it, but for our younger kids, we don't want them to dwell on violence."Education officials say it can be difficult to explain to young children what happened on that day, because of the many factors and political reasons linked to the terror strike."There is so much additional context and so many other stories there, that it can become daunting to a teacher to figure out how to be selective enough, sensitive enough and to provide the right balance and depth,'' said Robert Austin, a social studies specialist for the Utah State Office of Education. The terrorist attacks are currently not part of Utah's core social studies curriculum, but they could become so later this year when the required studies are updated. But still, many schools will observe the sixth anniversary since the World Trade Center towers fell in New York City and the Pentagon was damaged in Washington, D.C.Eastwood Elementary School in Salt Lake City generally observes a moment of silence, secretary Tina Jensen said. "We try to keep it pretty low key because some of the kids weren't even born. We try not to scare them,'' she said. Indeed, many students because of age barely remember it and feel little emotional connection.
West High School history teacher Dave Harper said he teaches students about Sept. 11 at the end of the school year, when he presents the tragedy within the context of global conflicts between cultures and explains how the attacks led to later events. Scott Crump of Bingham High School in South Jordan asks his students to write essays about whether they would like to be remembered as the "9/11 generation.''
Eagle Mountain's Eagle Valley Elementary School plans to have a National Guard member speak to students about patriotism. The school will have a Humvee behind the school during lunch. Students will wear red, white and blue Wednesday. "It's important to continue to teach our students about the importance of the sacrifice... and not just forget 9/11,'' Principal Keith Conley said. "That's why we've asked men and women to serve throughout the world to protect the United States.''
This to me is like trying to tell the children that the War in Iraq is not going on and that their parent or relative that is in the armed forces did not get killed. It is kind of like saying "Nothing to see here, move along" It is part of our history and it should be taught and children should have to learn about it because it could happen again. If another terrorist attach happens in the USA, a child might say why did this happen not knowing that it has happened before in the USA. I think that knowledge is power and not knowing what happened in your past even if it is only six years ago, can only lead to making us weaker, not stronger.
It is a harsh reality that we have to face now living in the USA. Terrorist attacks have been happening for years all over the world and we thought that it could not happen here on our soil; anyone remember
December 7, 1941? Japan was not terrorists but they attacked US soil. I was not alive when Japan attacked us but i was taught about it. It did not scare me. Should the schools in Utah not teach that as well? Lets just face it folks, it is apart of the history of the USA and as such, good or bad, it should be remembered for posterity’s sake for all the people that lost their lives in this horrible attack.
If this pisses you off as much as it does me, just use the hyperlink embedded in her name and send an email to her! I just wonder how many of those little kids play violent video games? They must live in a fantasy world in Utah where nothing bad happens there. I live in the real world where violence happens every day and people loose their lives in war. We were attacked and we should not forget about it!
I have been to
Ground Zero and it was a sobering experience for me to see all the devastation that happened. The say in the article that some kids do not remember and feel little emotional connection to it. That is BS in my book. I have a connection to Pearl Harbor from learning about it and watching movies and TV programs about it. This will happen for them plus if they get the chance to see it, they will have a connection then.
What is your opinion?
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