After reading How do I open up the subject with children?
The key word here is LISTEN. Most experts agree that it is best NOT to open up a conversation with children by giving them a lecture – even an informal, introductory lecture – on the particular tragedy that is on the news. Don’t burden children with information they may not be ready for. The best approach is to listen carefully to children’s spontaneous questions and comments, and then respond to them in an appropriate, supportive way. Let children’s concerns, in their own words, guide the direction of the discussion.
….I decided to take it real easy and let the kids lead this discussion. One of them wanted to talk about Sept. 11 right away this morning, but….there was a lot going on. I held off until after lunch, when I had a half hour. We didn’t do anything special, except that there’s this microphone and sound system in the classroom. So I went around and put a mic in front of the kids who had a hand up, and they said what was on their mind. Everyone listened.
With the How do I open the subject? advice in mind, I asked, “Does anyone know why this day is special?”
“It’s Sept 11.”
“It’s the day that they flew airplanes into the Twin Towers.”
There was speculation about why it was named 9/11. One person thought it meant the number of people who died.
The kids told what they knew. One girl claimed she’d never heard of it before. She was astounded. And for that alone I’m glad we discussed it. These little people were in kindergarten in 2001, and some of them have had eventful lives since then, so they need to get their Current Events in school.
They had it pretty right, but couldn’t understand why a highjacker would want to die with the plane. I know what they mean. Who can understand that? The question of “Why” was persistent, and I have to agree. It’s the big thing to wonder about.
We talked about what a patriot is, what a hero is, and that this is now known as Patriots Day. I told them it might be thought of as “Love your Country” Day. Then, after about 10 minutes of going around with the mic, one little boy asked, “Why is this day so special?
I handed the mic around to kids whose hands were raised to answer his question.
- for the people who fought for us;
- for the people who have died;
- for the people who worked there;
- for the families.
Enough said, they went to Gym class.
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[...] Who Knows What Day It Is? (Via Borderland.) This post by Doug at Boderland is my favorite 9/11 post of the day. There are only ever going to be more and more young people who need to have these conversations and need to have these questions answered. I also wonder how relevant or immediate this day will be to young students. I know that they will live in the world forever changed by 9/11, but I also know how events like Martin Luther King Jr’s death, or JFKs death were vague “history” for me as a kid (and seemed to have happened a long time ago), and yet my parents’ generation remembered them and understood them intimately. Similarly, neither of my parents can remember d-day (both were actually born that week), but to their parents that was a vivid memory. I see this happening now with students like Doug’s – or like my wife Eva’s, who are in kindergarden… most were in the womb on September 11th, 2001. How we tell this story will be every bit as important as what happened, if not more so – from the perspective of our students and children. [...]
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