Teaching 9/11 in Half Hollow Hills

Americans knew 10 years ago that 9/11 would be a day etched in history books and today it is.

To help guide the teachings of that day, the Half Hollow Hills school district created a lesson overview (included as a PDF in the photo section) geared for students of each grade to be taught on Friday, as well as parent reference materials to help continue discussions about Sept. 11 over the weekend at home.

The overview outlines topics such as community, patriotism, how 9/11 is remembered, when an event becomes “history” and other discussions which vary upon grade level.

“The primary focus and common theme throughout the lessons will be the manner in which our nation was united and as one and the spirit of volunteerism and service that emerged on the days that followed September 11th,” Superintendent Kelly Fallon wrote in a letter to parents.

What’s missing from the document however, is information specific to the attacks, such as the number of people killed, the planes or hijackers, and at least one student believes the guide to be a watered down version of the events.

Jacob Henner, a senior at Hills East and a member of the National Federation of American Students, wrote a letter to the school district, which he shared with Patch, describing the outline as “vague” and “disconnected” from the what occurred that day.

“I believe the lesson plan is almost obscene, and completely misses the point. While I believe young elementary schoolers should be exposed to the attacks gradually by their parents, there seems to be an idea that focusing on how our nation was united...on the days that followed September 11th is more important than discussing the actual event,” he wrote.

He points out one of keys on the guide for grades 4 and 5 under the topic of “understanding,” which tells students that after 9/11, people from Kenya gave a gift of cows, which are considered sacred to the Maasai people, to the United States.

“How does (the gift of cows) have any relevance?” he questions in his letter.

Instead, he asks the district to “Focus on how four airliners were hijacked by 19 al-Qaeda jihadists, killed all passengers (246), 2606 innocent civilians in the World Trade Center and 125 in the Pentagon.”
He goes on to say “Focus on the heroes...Debunk any myths the students may have hears, any alternate theories that may have negatively impacted their view,” he wrote. “...Don’t be vague, be specific.”

Chris Geed, spokesperson for the district said in response to the critiques that the guide is to be used a reference for teachers and while it encourages the focus to be on that of a united American people, the teachers will explain the lessons in way best suited for the demographics of their classrooms. She added that feelings toward the World Trade Center attacks are “still very raw,” and that the district has to be “very sensitive” when approaching the subject matter, especially for students who may have been directly affected by 9/11 such as experiencing the loss of a parent or other family member.

“Our approach to 9/11 is that we’re not ignoring the fact that it was an attack on American soil, we’re just not rubbing it in people’s faces,” she said.