Letters by Sikeston R-6 fifth-eighth grade students on 9/11 anniversary

Editor’s note: For a project in his EAGLE class, Zachary Hunn, teacher of fifth through eighth grade gifted students in the Sikeston R-6 School District, asked students to write letters to the editor about their feelings on the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and/or whether or not the subject should be taught in schools. The following are some of those letters.

Dear Editor,
9/11 was a serious attack on our national trading centers. I think our school district should be learning about 9/11 because it is something that everyone should know. I think this because as 9/11 falls farther back in time, people are less and less aware of how bad and how awful that day was. People all over America were affected by the deaths and destruction. When I get older, my kids will have no idea what 9/11 means because no one teaches it anymore. Honestly, we spent about an hour of class time on this subject and that isn’t enough. There have been only two attacks on American soil by foreigners, and we must be informed why and how to defend our country. Although it is important to study ancient history, it is also important to know about our recent history so we don’t make the same mistakes again. I hope you will take my concerns to heart and publish this so that 9/11 will never become just a memory.

L.D., fifth grade

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Sept. 11 is a date I’ve always remembered because on the one hand, it’s my friend’s birthday, but it is also one of America’s many tragedies. 9/11 was honestly was not anything that I thought too long about until two years ago. I remember watching the videos of people falling to their death from the Twin Towers and random strangers grabbing onto each other in hope of finding comfort in them before dying. It’s crazy how people thought that was a better way of dying than burning. I’m sure I would’ve done it too. It feels like such a long time ago, but 20 years, to me at least, isn’t really that long. My older sister was three months old when it happened, and that is just crazy to me. I genuinely feel terrible for the families who were affected in this and especially for everyone who passed during 9/11. I feel like everyone in America was affected by this, regardless of where they were, and regardless of if any of their family members passed. I think it was an absolute game changer for America. I think it really changed the perspective of a lot of people. You would think no human being would kill thousands of people, it makes me sick to think of how much hatred someone has to have to do this. It’s not fair how people can be so ruthless and how so many people die because of it.

A.C., sixth grade

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I think that 9/11 should be in the newspapers and that we should learn about it in school because the kids will learn about 9/11 and know some history behind it. We actually want to know what happened. We should know how many people got hurt, how hard the firemen and policemen worked to save lives, and how they tried to prevent people from getting hurt. We should know how they were risking their lives doing it. We should hear about the PTSD that some people who survived 911 had and how they could live to tell the tale of what happened inside the buildings of the Twin Towers. We should know about the people they saw and knew who did not survive the kamikaze of the Twin Towers. I think that it should be recognized and learned about more in detail and depth because it’s a part of our American history and shows that we aren’t perfect, but we are proud of our country.

K.C., fifth grade

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Dear Editor,
The 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks is right around the corner. The horrid day in 2001 had a major effect on our country. While the attacks on America caused sadness and fear, we came back strong. We showed the rest of the world that we will not give up. We all came together as a union and helped others in need. We showed other people what being an American meant.
Being American doesn’t mean we only stand and say the pledge of allegiance. It means we help one another in times of need, no matter the situation. We respect others, even if they have different opinions. America has been strong, even in times of great sadness. So even though events such as 9/11 took a major toll on the US, the citizens living in America rose up and helped one another.
When the planes hit, America was shocked. We never expected something like that to occur, but even in those times of great sorrow, we stood strong and held our ground. Our citizens know that we fight for our freedom and our way of life. This is the true America.
R.S., eighth grade