Students Too Young to Remember 9/11 Get History Lesson at Naperville Central

NAPERVILLE, IL — Where were you on 9/11? It’s a question that’s been asked countless times and most of us can remember exactly what we were doing.

But with the 15th anniversary of the attacks, students who are currently in high school were either just born or too young to understand the gravity of that day. While some say “Never forget,” it’s up to teachers to make sure students today know about it in the first place.

Naperville Central social studies teacher Mike Albiniak has been teaching 9/11 since the first anniversary of the attacks.

“My second year teaching is when it happened,” he said. He was home sick that day. “I had the unique opportunity to see it live as it happened.”

Students in Albiniak’s class a few years after it happened had a more personal connection and deeper understanding, but for students in high school now and for those to come, it’s “ancient history,” Albiniak said.

“It’s tough to make that connection,” he said. “It’s one of the reasons I show them video footage. Quite frankly, that’s the only way to understand how horrific it truly was.”

Despite annual media coverage of the anniversary, some students had never seen video of the attacks.

“It’s just shock. I think it’s more real to them,” Albiniak said of their reaction.

Teaching US History, Albiniak said he’s cramped for time in what he covers, so it’s usually just a day spent on the attack.

To head off conspiracy theorists who claim 9/11 was an inside job, Albiniak shows his students the PBS documentary “Why the Towers Fell,” which details how it was not impossible for the towers to collapse.

“It reminds me of the Holocaust deniers,” he said. “I’m doing what I can in my small way to head off any conspiracy nonsense before it gets worse.”

As far as why the towers were attacked, Albiniak will mention it throughout the school year as relevant information comes up, but doesn’t get into too much detail.

Naperville has a local connection to 9/11. Naval Cmdr. and Naperville resident Dan Shanower was killed in the attack at the Pentagon.

Albiniak will mention Shanower not only because of his connection to the area, but to remind them of the attack at the Pentagon and the crash of United 93 in a Pennsylvania field.

“It’s good for them to be able to see there is a local connection to this and there’s a reason there’s a memorial on the riverwalk and it did affect us even though we’re fairly far away,” he said.

As with any class, there are some students who are fascinated by the subject matter and those who couldn’t care less. Albiniak said it’s his challenge to show how important the events of Sept. 11 were.

“I like to hope that most kids get it, but the reality is there are some who can’t grasp it or choose not to grasp it. But at Central that’s a minority group.”

Albiniak’s grandfather was still alive at the time of the attacks. He’ll never forget what he said when he called to talk to him about it.

“I can’t believe I lived to see another Pearl Harbor,” his grandfather said.

A remembrance ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11 at the Cmdr. Dan Shanower Memorial. His brother, Dr. Thomas Shanower, will speak at the ceremony.

photo via Shutterstock