What are your kids being taught about 9/11?

[Serk]

At first I was furious with the local school district, but then I realized that I, as a father, am at LEAST as culpable, if not far more at fault than the school districts, but last night I asked my almost 9 year old daughter what she knew about 9/11. Her response was "Is that like 7/11?"

I said no, the terrorist attacks in New York, PA and DC 10 years ago. She looked at me like a deer in the headlights. She had no idea what I was talking about. None.

She was born September of 2002. I just found it amazing that someone that's part of the "9/11 Generation" had no idea what had happened to our country ten short years ago.

For my part I sat her down this morning and we watched videos, looked at pictures, I talked to her about what happened, why it happened (Various opinions), etc...

Just curious, anyone else around kids born around that time period (I.E. Too young to have actual memories of the event), what do they know about that period of time? I was just flabbergasted that she'd somehow managed to make it to the third grade in an advanced placement school no less and had never heard a peep about 9/11... (And yes, as I said above, I hold myself to blame as much or more than the schools for this lack of education. This is NOT a slam against teachers!)

[fudgie]

Well she is 9. 

[CajunRider]

Wanna be even MORE upset??? 

Ask what kids are being taught about other points of history... like Thanksgiving...

  

[The Anvil]

Wanna be even MORE upset??? 

Ask what kids are being taught about other points of history... like Thanksgiving...

  

Seriously, it's nuts. They're actually teaching something approaching the truth about early America these days.

[Gear Jammer]

Considering what they're taught at public schools by NEA guided teachers, it's good she got something truthful from her parents.  Good job Serk 

[Willow]

In fairness, Serk, I don't remember being taught any modern history until I was well into junior high school. 

[Paxton]

Serk;

It's hard to impart knowledge w/o having our views been colored by the emotions of the event. The nation's still struggling to make sense of 9/11. ???
At the national and global levels, our consciousness of the event is still fresh... as if it happened yesterday.

In a different vein, no matter the subject, your actions are admirable and most responsible. I think you are modeling good parental skills
and fostering meaningful interactions w/your children.

Your method of presenting information and exposing your daughter to a variety of opinions is applicable to just 'bout any subject.
It's a good model for those of us who struggle with meaningful parental communications.  Yours is an excellent home-schooling technique.

While employing your approach, the subject at hand, the information and the "facts" are not as important as the exercise of
critical-thinking-skills. These are most fundamental for rational and sound decision making as an adult.

I realize that after 62 years stumbling through life, 95% of my learning came from the household.

Good, bad or indifferent, it shaped my character and my vision of what life would be.
It also allowed me to identify what parental teachings agree with my adult self and which are based on perceptions that clash w/my own realities as an old man.

As Robert McKee once said; "... What happens is fact, not truth. Truth is what we think about what happens."

Thank you for posting.

PS: Is she yet to learn that Santa Claus is a fantasy and that the Egg-Hunt has nothing to do with Easter?

[Serk]

In fairness, Serk, I don't remember being taught any modern history until I was well into junior high school. 

This is true, although I'd argue, especially with the 10th anniversary having just passed, it would also fall under current events.

PS: Is she yet to learn that Santa Claus is a fantasy and that the Egg-Hunt has nothing to do with Easter?

(Once again, this is NOT a slam against teachers, I realize their hands are tied and they're doing the best they can with the orders they've got, but...) I've always considered Public Education to be something more akin to subsidized day care as opposed to a full education. So, while we don't have the luxury of fully home-schooling our children, I've always had it in mind that their education will come from home, as well as what they get from school (Or even counter to what they get in school, if that's the case.)

And no, we've allowed her to believe that Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny visit, but we've also explained the history of those holidays (Re: Saturnalia/Solstice/Spring Equinox, as well as the more common usage)

Orange County Florida second graders were taught that 10 years ago, people who hated America took  over four airplanes and crashed them into buildings or into the ground , killing a lot of innocent people.  That's called terrorism.  The lesson also taught about those who risked or gave their lives so that others could survive the attacks.  That's called heroism.  We should celebrate the heroes that responded to save others even when the danger to themselves was great.

End of lesson.

My wife taught the lesson, and the thousands of others at that grade level got a similar lesson.

Please thank your wife for that. My daughter got a good lesson in what happened this morning, and I was proud to see when I came and checked on her a few hours later that she was busy reading all she could find about the incident. While I was explaining how many firefighters and police died because they ran INTO the building to try to help people, as well as explaining the picture she found of some people that had jumped, she also learned that her daddy isn't above shedding a tear himself.

[RoadKill]

I applaud you for being a parent and teaching your child    But I have to agree with Willow on this one.v There is SO much to teach the young ones I can not imagine how the schools could even begin to prioritize it. You obviously have your own values,morals and priorities and you take time to share those with your children....AWESOME!   we need BILLIONS more like that!  But relying on schools to do that is a bit naive,dont you think ?  Keep on raising them right,one day they will thank you for it and MANY other Americans will too!   

[KW]

"Seriously, it's nuts. They're actually teaching something approaching the truth about early America these days." - Anvil

Oh please. . . .  STOP! Anvil if you're really the intellect you attempt to present yourself as then show some integrity and honestly here. You HAVE to know ‘today’s’ history’ lessons in public schools FAIL to take into account historical perspective, (an essential distinction regarding most events), and are instead put fourth from a politically correct, modern viewpoint.

I’m NOT trying to defend failings of the past, merely being honest in taking into account the state of mankind and its entire history leading up to a specific point of reference in our past, then viewing it in the context of that history. Either you get that or you don’t.  

[Serk]

I applaud you for being a parent and teaching your child    But I have to agree with Willow on this one.v There is SO much to teach the young ones I can not imagine how the schools could even begin to prioritize it. You obviously have your own values,morals and priorities and you take time to share those with your children....AWESOME!   we need BILLIONS more like that!  But relying on schools to do that is a bit naive,dont you think ?  Keep on raising them right,one day they will thank you for it and MANY other Americans will too!   

Roadkill  (And by extension Willow) I kinda understand where ya'll are coming from, and agree that there are other things the schools need to teach, I was just surprised that she wasn't even aware that America was attacked on our soil just 10 years ago. Not that the schools hadn't spent weeks going over every facet of the attack, but that they hadn't even mentioned it (Or if they did, she missed it, which is entirely possible). I guess part of my shock was not only that she hadn't heard anything about this at school, somehow she missed hearing anything on the news, hearing us talking about it, hearing other people talking about it, etc... Somehow that day's existence had managed to totally avoid being put into our daughter's consciousness, and I found that really shocking.

I can't imagine a 9 year old in 1951 being unaware that the Japanese had attacked our base at Pearl Harbor ten years previously...

On the other topics, yes, I go out of my way to make sure my daughter (And my other children as they get old enough to have conversations with instead of just wiping their butts and feeding them ) are given as many facts as possible, and I try to explain all possible view points on topics. I DO, of course, explain MY personal viewpoints and why I feel that way, as well as why someone else might feel otherwise. And yeah, there are some topics and material that I consider taboo for an 8 year old and will breach those topics or information to her as I feel she has matured to the point to be ready for it.

Anyway, thank ya'll for the kind words. I try very hard to be a daddy, and not just a father... (Won't claim to be perfect, but I at least try.....)