Chaffey High School and the Community
A resource for history, news, and events surrounding the Chaffey Community.

No easy lesson for showing recent suffering as history

At Upland Christian Junior High School, American history teacher Dave Sorenson will teach patriotism and tolerance, while presenting the historical context of terror, offering lessons in U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.

In Pomona, Michael Martin, a sixth-grade teacher at City of Knowledge, a Muslim school, expects to show the CBS documentary ''9/11.'' The two-hour program features scenes from the ruined World Trade Center. But first, he will send letters to students' parents asking for their permission.

''There is no contradiction in being a good Muslim and hating the events of Sept. 11,'' Martin said.

The one-year anniversary of the attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. by Islamic terrorists challenges Inland Valley educators to find ways to teach different school communities about a national tragedy that has suddenly become history.

They have no shortage of suggestions, with education organizations and interest groups offering classroom planners.

Regardless of suggestions, the task falls to individual teachers to explain Sept. 11. How they do so will reflect the art of teaching as much as the craft of the profession, because Sept. 11 fits no easy lesson plan.

Personal beliefs and community concerns will be hard to separate from the curricula, because this is history still in the painful making, and not the settled past of text books.

Inside the classroom

Jordan Parker's eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he colored an American flag for his art project.

''It makes me feel good that I'm doing this,'' said Jordan, 11, a sixth grader at Hawthorne Elementary School in Ontario. ''Because we've never done anything like this before. What happened on Sept. 11 was horrible. I thought it was sad.''

Although many Inland Valley students will begin classes the week following Labor Day, students at Hawthorne Elementary, a year-round school, have already begun projects commemorating Sept. 11.

They range from individual projects such as poetry, flag making and letter writing, to school wide events, including singing patriotic songs and participating in assemblies - even forming a human flag.

School officials say ''Proud to be an American'' is the theme of Sept. 11, 2002.

Teachers said the anniversary gave them a special opportunity to revisit themes of patriotism, freedom and heroes.

''The idea is 'Freedom Is,''' said Judy Westbrook of her fourth-grade class' art and reading projects commemorating Sept. 11. ''I want them to understand that freedom isn't just this lofty thing. But freedom is a choice. Choosing to go to school, choosing your career. We learned about other countries and that some girls can't do the same things as boys. I want them to know that they can do whatever they want, they just have to work hard.''

Samantha Stokes, 9, said learning about other cultures helped her realize what freedom means to her.

''Freedom means getting to do stuff, like being able to go outside and not having to wear covering, where you only see their eyes,'' Samantha said.

'We will not forget the day of Sept. 11, when terrorists sent some of our Americans to heaven; Over Pennsylvania there were heroes on the plane, who spoke briefly to family members in pain.''

''You think that maybe kids don't think about these things, but it affects them, no matter where they are,'' said Andrejko. ''And even though they are far away geographically, we're all close at heart.''

Gary Ovitt, who also serves as Ontario mayor, said he plans to refresh his students on the events of Sept. 11 with the aid of videotapes. Then, he said, he will ask his students why al-Qaida targeted the United States and will ask them to research terrorism.

But Ovitt said he wants his students to spend most time on the theme of heroes and might have them write to their own heroes.

Many private school teachers said they will pay special attention to issues of tolerance and religion.

David Sorenson plans to discuss the Middle East, the war in Kuwait and United States relations with Iran.

''We'll talk about American forces in Saudi Arabia, how that upsets some of the Muslim world,'' Sorenson said, adding he plans to discuss the importance of tolerance. ''Most of the Muslim world is very gentle, kind and loving people. We want to work with them, just as they want to work with us.''

Amani Asad, a substitute teacher and secretary at the Islamic Center of Claremont, said she will remind her students of Sept. 11, but does not want to focus on politics, given the ages of students in kindergarten through sixth grades.

''We do tell them that our religion is a religion of peace,'' Asad said. ''If they ask us questions (about Sept. 11), we would be ready to answer them, but we will not engage their minds about the politics around the world.''

Michael Martin said airing the CBS ''9/11'' video will prompt discussions among students at the City of Knowledge.

''There are a lot of issues that Muslims have with U.S. foreign policy. There are questions about the U.S. relationship with Israel, U.S. interests in the Middle East,'' Martin said. ''The impression I want to give my students is, however valid those arguments may be, what happened on Sept. 11 should in no way be diminished by animosity toward U.S foreign policy. What happened was a horrible thing.''

Martin also expressed hope of showing his students that being Muslim does not put them in the same category as Osama bin Laden.

'Sept. 11 is such recent history that a lot of people are still processing it,'' Martin said. ''A lot of people, myself included, are still in a little bit of shock. It was an unprecedented attack on the U.S.''

Lesson plans offered

National educational organizations like the American Forum for Global Education, the National Education Association and the National Council for the Social Studies have prepared for the anniversary.

They have gathered teachers, administrators and academics from across the country to create lesson plans about Sept. 11.

''The goal was to have a clearinghouse on issues relating to Sept. 11,'' said Jerry Newberry, Director of the National Education Association's Health Information Network. ''We hope it's 'one stop shopping' for teachers.''

The NEA officially launched its ''Remember September 11'' Web site on Aug. 19. The site features free lesson plans, grouped into categories by grade level and topics including ''Facing Personal Feelings,'' ''Facts About Terrorism and War'' and ''Stress and Relating to Others.''

According to Newberry, the NEA first put lesson plans together following the April 1999 Columbine High School shootings.

''The morning following Sept. 11, we had a huge section up on the Web site,'' Newberry said. ''So we thought it appropriate to follow through with the one year anniversary.''

Though the site received criticism for its content - some critics said the NEA focused on fears rather than facts and patriotism - Newberry said the main focus was to help inform students and teachers, and to help build community.

Brent Heath, who is on the research and instructional committee for the National Council for the Social Studies, said focusing on making students feel safe and helping them understand events by ''reading between the lines'' were his main concerns.

''It's on the minds of young people,'' said Heath, who teaches eighth-grade American history at De Anza Middle School in Ontario. ''They're concerned about their future and how the world has changed since Sept. 11.''

Last year, Heath focused on three different strategies to help his students process the tragedy.

''Through modeling calmness, focusing on information gathering skills, and fostering a spirit of inquiry around our democratic system, I hope I have helped my students sense calm in the midst of this terrorist firestorm and its aftermath,'' Heath wrote in a NCSS newsletter.

Jennifer Cho can be reached by e-mail at jennifer.cho@dailybulletin.com or by phone at (909) 483-9381.

Brenda Gazzar can be reached by e-mail at brenda.gazzar@dailybulletin.com or by phone at (909) 483-9355.