The halls seemed to have the normal bustle as to every day when children ran to class before the first period began. Everyone was still getting into the swing of making their lives in fact revolve around school again. My Writing About Education class sat quietly as we listened to Professor Bircher read two chapters from Teaching Esme. At approximately 9:30a.m. Principal Schaal interrupted our class and asked to see Professors Bircher and Kwak out in the hall. After a few minutes outside, they came in with grim looks and sat quietly in front of the room. None of the class was paying attention enough to notice the change in their behavior.
Professor Bircher grabbed our attention by turning on the television. The room fell silent as she flipped through every channel, showing the same pictures over and over. The Twin Towers were on fire and news anchors were attempting to explain, through their own incomprehension, how two planes had hit the Trade Towers. Professor Bircher said, “Well, you can’t learn through any better way than through experience in real life.” We discussed the difficulties we, as future teachers, would face as tragedies would occur in our lifetime. It would be left to our discretion on whether or not to tell our children, and if so how much.
The bell rang at 9:45 and the halls filled as usual. Children walked instead of ran, and silence hung throughout the halls. As teachers lined the walls to talk to each other, the halls emptied as quickly as they had filled.
Class ended and as I walked outside something still didn’t seem right. As I looked down the south side of Red Smith School, I realized every window was closed and every shade was drawn.
The events that morning have and will affect most everyone for the rest of their lives. As we discussed the difficulty and challenges we may face in having to deal with these tragedies, it really hit home as the bell rang and students filled the halls. The wing our class was able to observe was filled with young children, too young to be told what had happened. To fill minds with hate and tragedy at that age would do more harm then good. But whether or not these children knew what had happened had no effect on how they acted in the halls during those five minutes. By reading each teacher’s thoughts and actions, they knew something was wrong. The halls were filled with nothing but footsteps, rustling papers, and waves of deafening silence as a teacher would walk past. I never realized the power a teacher has by the way they present themselves. Every child that morning could sense that something was wrong, something had happened. This raised so many questions for me, as a future teacher. Even at such a young age, what can you keep from a child? Such inquiring minds will make that particular situation very important.
As I left school I walked around the side of the building. Every window was closed and the blinds were drawn shut to keep the children’s attention away from the windows. Cars and vans were pulled up in front of school; parents were getting their children to keep them home with the family. How can teachers keep their class running smoothly when interruptions occur, such as taking students out of their own classroom as they teach? This is only a small challenge that lies ahead for every teacher. But it is such a cruel matter to watch right before your eyes.