Teacher: Real heroes are ordinary people in extraordinary situations

On the 10th anniversary of 9/11, let us not forget their sacrifices or the courageous acts of our fellow Americans on our own soil — including police and firefighters — who responded to the attacks in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. InMaricopa asked several local citizens, a firefighter, a pastor, a veteran, a police chief and an educator, to comment on why it is important to never forget that fateful day. We begin our five-part series, ‘Reflecting on Sept. 11,’ with the perspective of a third-grade teacher.

Ask yourself: Where were you when you heard about the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001?

While we are flooded with emotions and precise memories, our students look puzzled. They were born after that horrific day. How could they possibly know what we went through? How could they understand?

The importance of keeping the memory alive for our youngsters is on us. We stand every morning and say the Pledge of Allegiance with pride, though our younger students could not fully understand that surge of patriotism we all felt in the aftermath of Sept. 11, nor what it still feels like today. This is why we must teach them.

The third grade teachers at Maricopa Elementary are commemorating Sept. 11 with a “hero” theme in honor of all those who lost their lives. If you ask a child to name a hero, chances are they will name Batman, Spiderman or the Green Lantern. We need to teach them that real heroes, the heroes of Sept. 11, do not wear capes and masks. They are people who risked — and lost — their lives to save others. They lost their lives for their country. Ordinary people become heroes in extraordinary situations, such as that tragic day 10 years ago.

Several exciting activities are happening at our school to remember Sept. 11. Third-grade teacher Amanda Reid always starts off by reading a children’s article about Sept. 11 to her students. First-hand accounts and news articles are great resources for teaching our students about the events. She then has the students write a letter to a current local hero in honor of those that were lost.

Yet another project that will help the students to memorialize the events of Sept. 11 is to make a superhero cape, commemorating real heroes in our community. They will decorate the cape with poems, pictures and short essays, and the cape will be sent off to a local hero, whether it be a police officer, firefighter, doctor, mom or dad.

“What I want my students to know is that there is a hero inside of everyone waiting to emerge,” said Shannon Boyland, third-grade teacher at MES. Leah Bordner, who also teaches third grade, adds, “In remembrance of September 11th, my main goal is to instill patriotism in my students; I want them to know that even in times of devastation we can come together for the common good.”

On this 10th anniversary of a day no one will forget, let’s remember the heroes.