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This is the first school year in which I will be teaching U. S. history.  Personally, I wasn’t too good of a student back in high school when I supposed to be learning it for the first time.  I blame my transitioning to three schools in three years as the reason I seemed to miss what happened when, to whom, and why.  My attempt at this subject didn’t improve much in college but I have conveniently blamed that on something too, which I now forget.

But here I am, charged with passing on the historical lessons of our forefathers to our next generation of leaders.  I ask myself, What do these students really need to know and take-away from history, and how can I create an environment that will be meaningful and engaging to them?  As an adult, I now see the importance of the world’s stories of “growing up.”  Since I consider myself a storyteller by nature, I hope to be able to share my interest in history with my students.

As parents and educators, we are provided with a teachable moment as we come upon the 10^th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy.  Each of us can remember where we were when we learned of the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the demise of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania.  Those events have created strong emotional reactions on all who remember or hear of them.  As residents in a democratic society, it is our job to use those emotions as a springboard for teaching our children how to be participants in our country, not just residents. 

In the classroom and at the dinner table, it is important to welcome conversation and debate about the controversial aspects of that day and its aftermath.  This allows young people to learn how to share their opinions, actively listen with respect, change their opinions perhaps, and on occasion, agree to disagree.

While children are curious about everything, be sure to steer the discussion to age-appropriate topics that they can understand:

§     Reassure your children that they are safe.  The events of 9/11 were unusual.  Though we always need to be cautious, our children in the U.S. are not at imminent risk of further terroristic attacks.

§     Become knowledgeable about Islam and the Muslim people.  This is an extremely controversial subject that can be interpreted a number of ways.  Many of us live communally with Muslim families which makes it even more important what children understand about their classmates and neighbors.

§     Discuss the changes in our country and the world since the terrorist attacks.  Something as simple as the way in which travel has been impacted will demonstrate to our children how our world has changed in ten short years.

§     Ignite a passion for patriotism in your children.  The tragedy of the attacks proved that the citizens of our country care deeply for one another.  There are so many stories of heroic, self-less acts that occurred on that day and in the days and years to follow.  Teaching our children to be proud of our country and to become active in preserving our democracy is a life lesson that will be repaid time and time again.

Finally, be sure to treat your children’s questions with compassion and respect.  Their understanding of history is limited to their own experience.  Treat each question as important, regardless if you find it trivial.  Keep your responses age-appropriate. Focus on the positive.  We come from a heritage of successes and failures, but mostly from a strong people that were willing to risk themselves for the betterment of others.  That is a powerful lesson that is appropriate no matter what age and where you come from.

Margaret Andersen is the mother of three teenagers and is a middle school teacher somewhere in the Midwest.  She is a regular ShareWIK.com columnist. For more Margaret Anderson articles, click here. 

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