Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/45361
continued from page 21 NEED HELP WITH YOUR 403(b) or 457 PLAN? If you need help understanding your 403(b) or 457 plan, CTAinvest.org can help. We've developed four new, 1 brief videos – none longer than 6 1 /2 minutes – that can provide a wealth of information about planning for retirement and your 403(b) or 457 plan. FEATURE LESSONS ON 9/11 Teaching about a day that changed the world forever Story by Sherry Posnick-Goodwin Photos by Scott Buschman DO YOU REMEMBER where you were and what you were doing on Sept. 11, 2001 — the day the world changed forever? Monica Stewart, a sixth-grade teacher in Palmdale, Los Angeles County, will never forget receiving a phone call from a friend telling her to turn on the television. "I was pregnant wi th my oldest son and my friend said, 'You have to turn on the TV r ight now, the Twin Tow- ers have been attacked!' And I said, 'What?' And I turned on the TV and watched one of them fall and said, 'Oh my God.' It gives me goose bumps now. I was 24 years old. Many older people have compared it to when they heard about the assassination of President Kennedy as a defin- ing moment of their generation where they can remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news. For my generation, it was that moment." Stewart's students were just ABOVE: Tammie Malvin, Fernando Carbajal and Crystal Bello listen to 9/11 heroism stories in Monica Stewart's class, Los Amigos Elementary School, Palmdale. Teacher Monica Stewart helps Dimas Molina write a letter of appreciation to those in the Palmdale community who risk their lives for the safety of others. babies when the U.S. suffered the terrorist attack, but as the 10th anniversary approached, she decided to conduct a history les- >>8:19 AM FLIGHT ATTENDANTS ABOARD FLIGHT 11 ALERT GROUND PERSONNEL THAT THE PLANE HAS BEEN HIJACKED; AMERICAN AIRLINES NOTI- FIES THE FBI. >>8:46 AM HIJACKER MOHAMMED ATTA AND OTHER HIJACKERS ABOARD FLIGHT 11 CRASH THE PLANE INTO THE NORTH TOWER OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER (WTC), KILLING EVERYONE ON BOARD AND HUNDREDS INSIDE THE BUILDING. 8:00AM 8:15AM 8:30AM 8:45AM >>9:02 AM AFTER INITIALLY INSTRUCTING TEN- ANTS OF THE WTC'S SOUTH TOWER TO REMAIN IN THE BUILDING, PORT AUTHORITY OFFICIALS BROADCAST ORDERS TO EVACUATE BOTH TOWERS VIA THE PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEM. >>9:03 AM HIJACKERS CRASH ANOTHER PLANE, UNITED AIRLINES FLIGHT 175, INTO THE WTC'S SOUTH TOWER, KILLING EVERYONE ON BOARD AND HUNDREDS INSIDE THE BUILDING. >>9:24 AM THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRA- TION (FAA) NOTIFIES THE NORTHEAST AIR DEFENSE SECTOR (NEADS) OF THE SUSPECTED HIJACKING OF YET ANOTHER PLANE, FLIGHT 77, AFTER PAS- SENGERS AND CREW ABOARD ARE ABLE TO ALERT FAMILY MEMBERS ON THE GROUND. 9:00AM 9:15AM 9:30AM son on the subject, as did other CTA members around the state. Conveying the enormity of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon with- out traumatizing youngsters or making them feel unsafe was a challenge. So was making students connect with a trag- edy that occurred when they were babies or before they were born. "History has a way of repeat- ing itself, and we have to know what happened in the past so we don't make the same mis- takes in the future," says Stew- art, a member of the Palmdale Elementary Teachers As so- ciation. "I want them to feel a sense of being an American and to feel American pride at the way we came together." The events of 9/11 — which killed approximately 3,000 civil- ians, sparked wars in the Mid- dle East, changed civil rights in Amer ica, and impact ed foreign policy, travel and a presidential election — are not included in California's state stan- dards, although that will likely change during the next revision. Nonetheless, some CTA members felt that, standards or not, the milestone anniversary could not be overlooked. timeline continued on page 20 18 California Educator / October 2011 October 2011 / www.cta.org 19 How the world changed A drawing hangs inside Billy Gene Coffey's eighth-grade social studies class at Glick Middle School in Modesto showing the Statue of Liberty, tears streaming down her face, in the aftermath of 9/11. Over the loudspeaker, the principal asks everyone in their classroom to take a moment of silence, to remember the vic- tims of that fateful day. The students and teacher bow their heads. Most were toddlers in 2001 and have no memory of what transpired. Coffey, a member of the Empire Teachers Association, tells students the disaster happened in New York, but had a worldwide impact, killing citizens of 92 other countries who happened to be working at the World Trade Center. The events of 9/11 changed the entire world in terms ✔ What Educators Need to Know about Social Security ✔ The Impact of Fees on Your 403(b) or 457 Plan ✔ Finding a Trustworthy 403(b) or 457 Plan Advisor ✔ The Truth about Variable Annuities Don't be sold – be informed at CTAinvest.org! This is your resource for retirement planning. No login is required, so visit today. 36 California Educator / October 2011 continued from page 26 High School parent Rajan Barma, who has tech background. Once downloaded, the application allows anyone with an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch to quickly get special Fremont Unified alerts, school board agendas, maps with locations of all schools, school budget data, community event schedules and emergency information. It smoothly interfaces with the district's website. "They worked all summer on it," Cohen says of the boys' ambition. "It's really very impressive work." By Mike Myslinski of the way people interact, says Coffey, noting that after- ward, Muslims and Middle Easterners were targeted by hate crimes, and they still face discrimination for the actions of a few terrorists. The events of 9/11 also intensified a search for alternative energy sources to lessen dependence on Middle Eastern oil and affected the way people travel throughout the world. "9/11 was a terrible day, but it was also a day of strangers helping strangers," concludes Coffey. "I would like each of you to take the opportunity to be courageous, selfless and loving. This day is an opportunity for us to reflect on the things that are really important in our lives."