Sept. 11 Led to On-Campus Changes

Soon the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 will be marked by a series of celebrations, vigils and memorials. Despite the changes that are highlighted only once every year, schools are a place where the changes are occurring almost everyday, virtually seamlessly.

John Welch, social studies teacher at in Roseville, said it's interesting to teach about the terrorist attacks, but “it is a challenge.”

“The hardest part is that they don't really understand why it was so shocking,” because they have no living memory, and this creates trouble understanding the context of the event, he said. But as a history teacher, with 25 years under his belt, he feels his job is always to “help provide that context.”

There is no state standard that asks teachers to present a section on Sept. 11, but Welch felt that most teachers do, largely because of the shock value of the event and the aftermath that is still unfolding.

When the event happened, most functions on the campus seemed to freeze, he said. And for days, classrooms appeared tense and distracted. Then, and still now, it seems an easy subject to link with many other events, but there are present questions that he said teachers are still grappling with. 

"This continues to have me asking 'How do I teach it?'” he said.

But, despite the challenges, he see's it as a tool for students. A tool to understand empathy, risks, causation and many other aspects of history. 

“The school is now gated and locked at all hours during the school day," Welch said. “Before, you could have just walked in, we could have spoke and you could leave. But not anymore.”