Family stories help Washingtonville eighth graders understand 9/11

Twenty-five years after September 11, 2001, students in Astrid Hagan's social studies class at Washingtonville Middle School discussed the day's impact, sharing stories from the people in their lives who remember it.

Eighth graders interviewed a parent, grandparent, neighbor or family friend, asking where that person was that morning, how the day made them feel and what they noticed about the country in the weeks that followed.

"The process of conducting an interview is an important part of understanding history," Ms. Hagan said. "I give this assignment to my students so that they can have the conversation about a day in history that they were not alive for, but their family was. Over the years, families have shared such incredible stories, and my students were proud to tell the class what they learned."

One student's mother remembered sitting in her eighth-grade English class when a television was rolled into the room. Another had a family member working just blocks from the World Trade Center. Others heard from relatives who watched from college campuses and workplaces, including one who remembered seeing the attacks on television in the Dominican Republic.

Ms. Hagan also shared what a former Washingtonville teacher remembered about that day. As news of the attacks spread, parents began arriving to pick up their children. Traffic around the schools became so heavy that some parked wherever they could and walked the rest of the way. For students whose parents could not make it home, teachers stayed at the middle school into the evening, sharing dinner with them until their families could reach them.

“When we think about how we remember 9/11, I think it's extraordinary to look at individual people, regular people who did extraordinary things,” Ms. Hagan told her students.

One example she shared was Welles Crowther, a 24-year-old Nyack native who became known as the “Man in the Red Bandana” for helping people escape the South Tower before it collapsed.

Students watched a video about Mr. Crowther before reflecting on the stories they had heard throughout the lesson.

“I think it definitely did change my perspective,” said Michael Cochi. “It’s kind of crazy that he went down the stairs and then went all the way back up like that. He just did it to save people.”

Emily Porter reflected on both the loss of the day and the way people responded afterward.

“I feel kind of sad for the people who had to witness that or had to go through that,” Emily said. “But I’m glad that we can all come together and unite as a country.”

Emma Mejia Garcia said the lesson left her thinking about all of the people who helped others that day, including those whose names may not be widely known.

“I feel like we should just honor everybody,” Emma said. “Even if their names are not there, just honor them and how they sacrificed themselves for everyone.”