9/11

  Dear Board of Education,

September 11th, 2001 was a day that changed lives across the globe. 9/11 changed the way we traveled, treated others (especially foreigners), as well as the level of surveillance we were under. On September 11th, 2001 the US was brutally attacked by the terrorist group al-Qaeda. Now, every year on September 11th, almost all students in the US are allowed to take the day off. However, was this the original point of the national holiday? The harsh reality is that most of the students who do get the day off, tend to spend it sleeping in, playing video games, or hanging out with friends. The real importance of this day has been lost in the chaos of America's education system. I believe that we need to all start contributing towards the real heroes of this day. We need to change the meaning of this day in students' minds, from a free day off to a day of giving back to our brave citizens, who dedicated their lives to protect ours.

The amount of psychological trauma that took place during that day is insurmountable. Many of the people who went in those towers that day came out a completely different person, and not enough is being done for these people who may still be struggling even 20 years later. We could use this free day as a chance to fundraise and help collect money and contribute to different organizations and charities such as FDNY, Families of Freedom, Voices Center for Resilience, etc. All of these organizations have different facilities and professional help for those physically and mentally affected by 9/11. While it is not required for all schools across America, most teachers try to find some way to include it in their curriculum, however after detailed research, very rarely do schools make an effort to include their students in celebration, or mourning.

Another way to increase the youth’s interaction with people who were actually in 9/11 is by setting up volunteer activities to either raise money or to spend a day with some of the heroes and listen to their stories face to face. I also think this would be a good opportunity to allow students to ask questions and truly interact with someone who was there. We need to make it a day of celebration and give back to those who risked it all that day. Since 9/11 is technically called “National Day of Service and Remembrance” we can also offer volunteering opportunities for the students that can entail, helping out at local homeless shelters, visiting elderly homes for veterans, and setting up events at local businesses to help raise money for local charities.

Overall I feel that we as a school, and my peers and I as the next generation aren’t doing enough. This day should be spent as a day to honor our loved ones and help our community. There are far too many opportunities present to make productive and beneficial use of this day, for them to be ignored. I also feel that our generation as a whole has become almost desensitized to this event, as a result of having grown up and constantly learning about it but never actually being there. In light of this I think that being able to hear first-person stories, on the events that unraveled would be able to give my peers and I a whole new perspective. And while I feel we always try to give proper respect and remembrance for the dead, we aren’t doing enough for those who are still here. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely, Isabella Portu.