10 Years Later A Teachable Moment

9/11 presents teachers, parents, and communities with an important opportunity. How can we engage youth, many of whom know very little if anything about this event? For starters, explaining 9/11 to a younger generation can focus on a wide range of issues, including intolerance and tolerance, disunity and unity, and local and global. 9/11 is not just about us and them. It is also about we, and how we have been impacted and how we came together in the face this personal, local, and global tragedy. We can teach our children to place this event in a more inclusive, global context.
The terrible loss of 9/11 was felt, and continues to be felt worldwide. People from more than 60 countries lost their lives in the World Trade Center disaster. For example, data from the U.S. Department of State shows the number of victims from Pakistan (200); India (250); El Salvador (71); Australia (55); Austria (15).
Among the victims of 9/11 were people of diverse religious faiths, including more than 30 innocent Muslims. These Muslims ranged in age from the late 60s to an unborn child.
Male and female civilians and military personnel were among the victims. At the Pentagon, a memorial has been dedicated to those who perished at that site. Part of the memorial is a gray concrete wall, which is 3 inches at the beginning, honoring the youngest person (three year-old Dana Falkenberg) and reaching a height of 71 inches (honoring retired U.S. Navy Captain John Yamnicky Sr.).
The entire world came together ten years ago, to reflect, mourn, remember, honor, and pray. And the entire world continues to keep their memory alive. What will the next generation take from this moment in history?