Remembering.....

We're one week into school. It's Sunday afternoon, it's a beautiful fall day outside. And as you can read, I'm on my computer, in my basement, looking out at the beautiful day, taking a break from my school prep work to write this blog.  I should have my school work done by now, but I keep getting distracted. It started last night already. I was flipping through the channels and came across a special on the History Channel, 15 Septembers Later.

It's been 15 years since that horrible day. People always ask "Do you remember where you were?" I can, just like it was yesterday. I was working at Eden Prairie High School that year, I was walking through the office/lounge area for some reason I do not remember. The television was on and a few people were watching it. I glanced at it, did not pay much attention because I thought it was some video they had popped in and were previewing for a class. When I came back through after running my errand, I stopped behind the already mesmerized staff, and watched, for just a moment I thought, I'd see what they were so engrossed in. And then I watched some more, and a little more, and then I heard the news anchor begin to report, and not for the first time that morning, or the last, that apparently a plane had flown into one of the twin towers.

At that point no one knew anything, it was an aviation accident, terrorists were not a consideration. I became mesmerized, frozen. I can only assume this is what it's like when someone sees an accident, you can't look away. I stood there, probably with my mouth open, just watching and listening. Then suddenly, as they are showing live feed of the towers, the second plane crashed into the other tower. Unbelievable, it's the only word I have.

For days and weeks after that, everything centered around the events of that day. Now 15 years later,  I can still watch those videos, mesmerized, mouth open, and I can't look away. And as I watched 15 Septembers Later, and listed to first hand accounts from that day, and the days after, I am taken back in time. My heart hurts for the families that lost loved ones that day. I am amazed by the strength of those that agreed to share their first hand account of that day. I am humbled by the acts of heroism that occurred.

So why do I feel compelled to write about this? As I said at the beginning of this post, I should be working on my school work, but all I can think of is this horrific event, that changed our world, occurred before many of my students were born, or they were at an age they do not have a memory of  these events. They do not remember life before we were so viciously attacked. How do they honor those that lost their lives on this day? Or a better question, what can I do in my Business classes to honor this day and help students remember?