Public Schools Address Attacks

"She said, 'Why are we in school today?'"

The student's father worked in one of the World Trade Center towers. She had spent part of the previous day trying to reach him, finally making contact and determining his safety, he said.

But Brogden said that a few days after the terrorist attacks, the student calmed down and level-headedly participated in class discussions about a defining day in the world's history.

Brogden, who teaches 10th through 12th graders in U.S. history and an honors Civil War and American West class, said his department met following news of the events to piece it all together.

"It was patchwork that first day," he said.

As students and teachers returned to a relative state of normalcy, some school officials tried to put the events into perspective as they moved on from the tragedy.

Brogden said he and fellow teachers combined three classes and lectured on the historical parallels between Sept. 11 and other turning points for the United States, such as the Civil War battle of Antietam and Pearl Harbor, and how the nation rebounded from those blows.

"It was more a message of inspiration for the kids to realize we had to face those situations before," he said. "We were able to go forth as a country."

Brogden said students seemed appreciative, with some thanking him after the lesson.

He said he will commemorate today's first anniversary with an activity that will likely include a reading of the Gettysburg Address as he continues to connect history and current events in the classroom.

He said that while difficult to handle, the events of the last year have reinforced his love for the profession.

"In a way, it's a fun time (to teach)," he said.

Now a year after the tragedies, Kim Hoke, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools spokeswoman, said most schools will have moments of silence, but many teachers will be sensitive to graphic imagery that might trouble some students.

She said most schools, particularly in the elementary grades, will keep the televisions off today, as media coverage will likely revisit images of hijacked planes colliding with the twin towers.

While high school students might be receptive and understanding of the significance of attacks on America, the topic is treated much differently in lower grades.

Elizabeth Mauch, PTA co-president at Mary Scroggs Elementary School, said most younger children, such as her kindergartner and third grader, should not be exposed to the tragedy in the classroom.

"My children have not come home talking about it," Mauch said. "For someone who's 5, it would be ... frightening.

"The kids can't put it into context about how it would affect them."

Hoke said that after Sept. 11, teachers tried to assure students of their safety despite the shock associated with the attacks.

Crisis teams were deployed to schools Sept. 11, 2001, to help students cope with the tragedy, but officials decided not to cancel classes for the day to retain as much normalcy as possible, she said.

"That's typically a recommendation to help children move through a crisis," she said.

Hoke said teachers led their students through conversations based on their personal comfort levels.

"I think all of us were feeling a bit fragile at that point," she said. "All of us as adults were struggling with what was going on."

Brogden said Sept. 11, despite its tragic nature, has served as an effective tool for added understanding of the world.

"I think it is useful in that it helps students with parts of the past they might not have understood before," he said.

"It's up to us ... to make something good come out of that."

. The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.