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In this photo the window directly below the “RAMS” sign is in the back of what was my sloping, college-style lecture room in the science wing of Highland High School in Salt Lake City (photo taken yesterday). It had been my habit for my entire teaching career to arrive at school about 45 minutes early to allow me extra time to prepare for the day’s classes. So just before 7 AM (Mountain Time) on Tuesday September 11, 2001 I was alone in my room preparing for my first zoology class that would begin at 7:40.<\/p>\n
Suddenly one of my teaching colleagues burst into my room, told me something terrible was happening and to turn on my classroom TV. So I did and with a push of that little button on the TV remote the world as I knew it instantly and drastically changed.<\/p>\n
As significant as that day was, much of it is a blur 20 years later but there are some snippets I remember all too well.<\/p>\n
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- Many of my first period students still hadn’t heard the news when they arrived to my room. We were all starved for information so most of first period in my class was spent watching developments on TV. For the rest of my classes that day I tried to carry on as close to usual as possible for most of the period but I turned the TV news back on for the last few minutes of each class so that we could all catch up on developments. And talk about them.<\/li>\n
- Reactions of students (I had a mix of 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade students in various classes) and adults were similar but not exactly the same, especially at first. It took most students longer to absorb the deadly seriousness of the day’s events and its implications than it did the adults. But for most of us, to one degree or another, it was a day of confusion, futility, almost infinite sadness and anger. Seething, soul-searing anger.<\/li>\n
- By the end of the school day we were all emotionally exhausted and more ready than usual to go home and deal with the day’s tragedies in a more personal way with the support of our families and loved ones, rather than in the more impersonal school environment. I was divorced at the time and I could hardly wait to get home and hug my dog.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Anyway, that’s where I was and what I was doing on 9\/11. If readers would care to share their own experiences on that morning feel free to do so in the comments. It just might be cathartic for all of us.<\/p>\n
Ron<\/p>\n
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Today, birds take a back seat.\u00a0<\/p>\n