9/11
I find it difficult to believe that it's been ten years since the 9/11/01 attacks, partially because I still remember that day and some of the days following so, so vividly, and partially because it's kind of weird to me that I have such clear memories of something that happened a decade ago.
I was in 5th grade. Mr. Fitzpatrick's class. Since it was the beginning of the year, we were seated alphabetically and I got stuck next to a new girl who I hated almost immediately. I don't remember why. The day started like any other; we were all seated in a circle on the floor for some sort of morning meeting. When we went back to our seats, we started our day with math, like always. It was only the second week of school and already I dreaded going because I hated starting my day with math.
I don't quite remember when it happened, but sometime early on that morning Mr. Fitz told us he'd be back in a minute and went to the principal's office, just like every other staff member. Normally that would've been an opportunity for us to break every rule we could think of until he got back, but no one did anything besides read whatever it was Mr. Fitz had assigned to us before he closed the door. I think we all knew something was up, not that any of us really knew.
When he came back, Mr. Fitz was visibly shaken. He was trying not to show it but whatever he'd been told had really gotten to him, but it was apparent that he didn't want us to know whatever it was and we all knew not to ask. Through the rest of the day, Mr. Fitz had his cell phone in his pocket and he would periodically excuse himself, apologizing every time. And every time he'd come back with a sort of unreadable deadpan expression and he'd pick up with our lesson like nothing had happened.
At the end of the day, during what usually would've been the last fifteen minutes of class, Mr. Fitz pulled his chair out from behind his desk and placed it at the front of the room before sitting down and asking us all to sit on the floor in front of him. He stared at all of us for a minute or two before one of the secretaries started making an announcement over the PA system; all after-school activities were cancelled. CCD, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, everything. It was all cancelled.
When the announcement finished, Mr. Fitz again sat in silence before finally finding words. "Something really big happened today, guys," he said. "You're going to need to talk to your parents about it when you get home. I'm not in a position to say anything more, but we'll talk about it tomorrow morning, okay?"
Pete O'Hara, who was sitting next to me, raised his hand. Mr. Fitz sort of nodded towards him, giving him permission to speak.
"I know what happened." Mr. Fitz looked stunned and tried to interject before Pete could continue, but he was already talking again.
"The Pope died." We all looked around at each other, nodding in silent agreement. That was the only reason CCD would be cancelled. Ever. Right?
A look of surprise mixed with relief and a little bit of amusement passed over Mr. Fitz's face before he spoke. "Ahhh, not quite. Um. It's bigger than that."
We were all in disbelief. What could possibly be bigger than the Pope dying and CCD being cancelled?
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My mom picked me and my brother up from school that day; I was supposed to have a Girl Scout meeting after school so I wasn't surprised. When we got in the car, I asked her what had happened that day, saying that Mr. Fitz said that we needed to talk to our parents. I was in the backseat and my mom glanced in the rearview mirror before saying anything. "Several planes were hijacked today, and they were flown into two towers of the World Trade Center in New York, as well as the Pentagon in Washington, DC."
I didn't get it. "So? That's New York and Washington DC. This is Pennsylvania. Why is Girl Scouts cancelled?"
"A lot of kids' parents work in New York, maybe even in the World Trade Center. People need time to find their families and make sure everyone's okay." I still didn't get it.
It wasn't until we got home and I saw the footage on the news that I truly began to understand what had happened.
--------------------
The impromptu staff meeting earlier that day had been to inform the staff of what had happened, and to ask them not to tell their students. It took me several years to really understand the rationale; but in retrospect it makes sense. I live in an area where many, many people commute to NYC daily for work, and if the student body had been told that there was a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, anyone whose parents worked in New York would've panicked, especially the younger kids who didn't necessarily know WHERE their parents worked, just that it was in New York City. It was also in deference to our parents; they should be the ones who choose when and what to tell their children about an event like this.
Mr. Fitz's repeated phone calls were because his brother was at a meeting in the financial district that day, and no one in his family could get a hold of him, just like no one could get a hold of anyone in the area immediately following the attacks. Mr. Fitz was receiving periodic updates from his father about what they knew and what was to come.
--------------------
It is incredible to think how everyone's lives changed in an instant because of the same event, but how differently everyone experienced it because of their location or personal circumstances or anything, really.
I was in 5th grade. Mr. Fitzpatrick's class. Since it was the beginning of the year, we were seated alphabetically and I got stuck next to a new girl who I hated almost immediately. I don't remember why. The day started like any other; we were all seated in a circle on the floor for some sort of morning meeting. When we went back to our seats, we started our day with math, like always. It was only the second week of school and already I dreaded going because I hated starting my day with math.
I don't quite remember when it happened, but sometime early on that morning Mr. Fitz told us he'd be back in a minute and went to the principal's office, just like every other staff member. Normally that would've been an opportunity for us to break every rule we could think of until he got back, but no one did anything besides read whatever it was Mr. Fitz had assigned to us before he closed the door. I think we all knew something was up, not that any of us really knew.
When he came back, Mr. Fitz was visibly shaken. He was trying not to show it but whatever he'd been told had really gotten to him, but it was apparent that he didn't want us to know whatever it was and we all knew not to ask. Through the rest of the day, Mr. Fitz had his cell phone in his pocket and he would periodically excuse himself, apologizing every time. And every time he'd come back with a sort of unreadable deadpan expression and he'd pick up with our lesson like nothing had happened.
At the end of the day, during what usually would've been the last fifteen minutes of class, Mr. Fitz pulled his chair out from behind his desk and placed it at the front of the room before sitting down and asking us all to sit on the floor in front of him. He stared at all of us for a minute or two before one of the secretaries started making an announcement over the PA system; all after-school activities were cancelled. CCD, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, everything. It was all cancelled.
When the announcement finished, Mr. Fitz again sat in silence before finally finding words. "Something really big happened today, guys," he said. "You're going to need to talk to your parents about it when you get home. I'm not in a position to say anything more, but we'll talk about it tomorrow morning, okay?"
Pete O'Hara, who was sitting next to me, raised his hand. Mr. Fitz sort of nodded towards him, giving him permission to speak.
"I know what happened." Mr. Fitz looked stunned and tried to interject before Pete could continue, but he was already talking again.
"The Pope died." We all looked around at each other, nodding in silent agreement. That was the only reason CCD would be cancelled. Ever. Right?
A look of surprise mixed with relief and a little bit of amusement passed over Mr. Fitz's face before he spoke. "Ahhh, not quite. Um. It's bigger than that."
We were all in disbelief. What could possibly be bigger than the Pope dying and CCD being cancelled?
-------------------
My mom picked me and my brother up from school that day; I was supposed to have a Girl Scout meeting after school so I wasn't surprised. When we got in the car, I asked her what had happened that day, saying that Mr. Fitz said that we needed to talk to our parents. I was in the backseat and my mom glanced in the rearview mirror before saying anything. "Several planes were hijacked today, and they were flown into two towers of the World Trade Center in New York, as well as the Pentagon in Washington, DC."
I didn't get it. "So? That's New York and Washington DC. This is Pennsylvania. Why is Girl Scouts cancelled?"
"A lot of kids' parents work in New York, maybe even in the World Trade Center. People need time to find their families and make sure everyone's okay." I still didn't get it.
It wasn't until we got home and I saw the footage on the news that I truly began to understand what had happened.
--------------------
The impromptu staff meeting earlier that day had been to inform the staff of what had happened, and to ask them not to tell their students. It took me several years to really understand the rationale; but in retrospect it makes sense. I live in an area where many, many people commute to NYC daily for work, and if the student body had been told that there was a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, anyone whose parents worked in New York would've panicked, especially the younger kids who didn't necessarily know WHERE their parents worked, just that it was in New York City. It was also in deference to our parents; they should be the ones who choose when and what to tell their children about an event like this.
Mr. Fitz's repeated phone calls were because his brother was at a meeting in the financial district that day, and no one in his family could get a hold of him, just like no one could get a hold of anyone in the area immediately following the attacks. Mr. Fitz was receiving periodic updates from his father about what they knew and what was to come.
--------------------
It is incredible to think how everyone's lives changed in an instant because of the same event, but how differently everyone experienced it because of their location or personal circumstances or anything, really.