Cover Story
Aftermath

'We're All New Yorkers'
Uniontown, Kansas

Uniontown is more than a thousand miles away from New York City, both literally and figuratively. It's in the heart of rural America. Our high school has 150 students, all of them Caucasian and Protestant.

Yet on September 11, our students became one with the children of Arlington, Virginia and New York City.

They sought solace in patriotism, prayed around the flagpole, and listened to teachers and parents trying to calm their fears. And students who had previously shown little interest in subjects like government and social studies now had question after question.

How could I help them put these horrific events into some context? I employed many teaching strategies that first week. I used maps and charts to pinpoint governments, peoples, and religions. I compared FDR's speech from December 8, 1941 with President Bush's speech September 11. But that fell flat.

One student in my government class said he had heard another say, "Let's destroy all of the Arabs." That led to small group discussions to face the lack of tolerance that sometimes arises. We discussed what the perpetrators of this horrible deed wanted--and how intolerance was their motive and goal, not ours.

Class discussions centered on terms and names such as Arab, Muslim, Osama bin Laden, and international terrorists. At first, only about a quarter of the students could find major Middle Eastern countries on a blank map--and I wonder whether students elsewhere could have done better.

My most effective tool was personal E-mail. Two years ago, my students began a world history project about the Holocaust that included a trip to Warsaw. After September 11, we received messages from our contacts in Poland, who helped us see the attacks from other perspectives.

My students have a lot to learn-indeed, we all do. But since the disaster, they have gained a better understanding of the international role of the United States. And our messages from abroad have brought home the global, and human, scope of this event.

Heading home to the farm from football practice, one of my students echoed an sentiment from an E-mail from one of our Jewish friends in Poland: "We're all New Yorkers." 4

Norm Conard
Uniontown High School

'All Differences Are Tossed Overboard'
Heidelberg, Germany

Department of Defense Dependents Schools provide a quality American public education to 71,000 children of the U.S. armed forces serving abroad. The Federal Education Association represents more than 6,100 educators in the 154 schools located in 14 countries. Laura Bauernfeind is a school nurse at Heidelberg American High School, which has 700 students.

We're very concerned about our students. They are just as worried as other students in the U.S. about terrorism-with one exception. They realize that their mothers and fathers may have to respond with their lives in any retaliation action. In some cases, both parents may be deployed or placed on extended duty to defend our interests overseas. Single parents can be deployed, leaving high school students with little supervision and support.

Many of our educators are military spouses, and they have double fears.

Counseling groups in the schools are organized to assist students during times of high stress. Increased stress often leads to increased incidents of child abuse, alcohol abuse, and stress-related illnesses. With decreased staffing in the American military facilities, overseas referrals must often be made to local host nation medical providers-and trying to communicate in the local language adds one more stress.

But recent events have changed our relationship to the world around us. On September 14, we went back to school for the first time. A nearby German school asked if we would send a group of students to the front of Campbell Barracks, the Army Headquarters for Europe, to receive flowers and condolences from the German school community. So ten students, our principal, and our Association faculty representative went out.

They found more than 450 German students linked arm in arm, bringing candles, flowers, and handwritten messages. Our students never expected such an outpouring of sympathy and support. Michael Arnold, the editor of our student newspaper, reported that students on both sides were in tears. He's quoted in the local paper, Rhein Neckar Zeitung, as saying the gesture was extraordinarily moving. And he told that the event made him realize we have friends in Germany.

One of the German students said, "All differences in nationality and race are tossed overboard. People just want to help each other."

Laura Bauernfeind
Heidelberg American High School

'Yes, The Reality Had Sunk In'
El Paso, Texas

I was devastated when I first watched the attacks on the World Trade Towers on a school television. Who did this? Why? I was speechless. But not all of my students shared my emotions-and that upset me, too.

My first class of 35 freshmen had a variety of reactions, including relief at not having to work and having a free day. I had someone lower the volume on the television and then slowly explained that we are witnessing history. This will be a day they will always remember.

As we watched the clips, I reminded them that this was not a special effect or a video game. Then came the questions. I told them I wasn't sure about anything. We watched the television in silence and left the class in silence.

During the day, some of my students began to forget about the events. To some, there was still indifference.

Then I told them about the possibility of war. I told them about the draft during the Vietnam War, and I told them that this was going to be their war, only we didn't know what kind of war it would be. These 14-, 15- and 16-year-old boys became silent.

I was angry with some of their reactions. I thought they realize the severity of this situation. But I was wrong.

One week after the bombing, I had all my students write essays on the attack, describing their thoughts and feelings, hopes and fears. I said I'd save the essays and give them back in May 2002 so they can reflect on this very important time.

A lump came in my throat as I read these essays. "On September 11, 2001, America was stabbed in the heart," wrote one student.

Some were angry and vowed revenge, others were sad and prayed for answers, still others were scared and prayed for their families, and others donated blood and money. The compassion that poured out for the victims of this disaster set my mind at ease. Even the most hardened boys spoke of loving their families and hoping that neither they nor their brothers would have to go to war.

Yes, the reality had sunk in. We talk now about becoming informed so that we can better understand the players. We have resumed our daily grammar lessons. I hope they see the bigger picture and they realize they can make a difference in this world. I see a generation of students who desire peace. I hope and pray it will happen. 4

Elizabeth Fourzan
Montwood High School

When social studies teacher Wafa Hozien found out that hijacked planes were smashing into buildings on September 11, her first reaction was horror at the loss of life. And her second was, "Please don't let it be Arabs, don't let it be Muslims."

Hozien, a Muslim born in Libya, has lived in the United States since she was eight. She teaches at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Bethesda, Mary-land. And she knew that when President Bush named Osama bin Laden on television, her world-or the world's presumptions about her-would change.

The attack on the Pentagon closed most schools in the Washington, D.C. area for a day and a half. When her school reopened, Hozien took part in a school-wide discussion, giving students background on the Taliban and on Osama bin Laden. Some of her students wanted to talk more about the disaster. Others said they were "all discussed out." No one at school has pointed the finger of blame at Wafa.

But the world off-campus hasn't been so supportive. Hozien's mosque was vandalized, and mosque leaders have decided it's too dangerous for women to worship there just now. In a playground, two people sitting near Hozien said, speaking loudly so she could hear, that Arabs in the United States should be put in internment camps, like Japanese-Americans were during World War II.

"I thought it was ironic," says Hozien. "My children and their children were playing together on the swings." But she didn't challenge them for fear of being attacked.

Then she heard a radio report that a majority of Americans favor making Arabs carry special identification cards. "I got to school practically in tears," she says. A colleague who is Jewish had also been upset by the report. "We talked about the parallels to the Nazi treatment of Jews," says Hozien, "and she told me, 'I understand 100 percent what you're going through.'"

Other NEA members who are Muslim or Arab American have reported to NEA Today that their colleagues and students have stood with them against retaliation in their communities. Educators across the country have also tried to stop harassment of Arab American and Muslim students.

Excerpted and reprinted with permission from
The Seattle Times

Q&A

Before the flames from the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were extinguished, many Americans already had an image of the culprit: someone with Middle Eastern features, someone of Islamic faith, someone with a seething hatred of America.

The primary suspect, Osama bin Laden, fits that description. Sadly, though, some people in this country assume that anyone who looks like their image of an Arab is worth targeting for retribution.

The result of that assumption has been violent and ugly.
One man stormed into a South Seattle mosque and threatened to burn it down. Another poured gasoline on a North Seattle mosque and tried to fire a gun at some of its members.
Below are some questions and answers to enlighten and educate. Much of the material here comes from A Guide for Journalists produced by The Detroit Free Press, a newspaper published in a city with one of the nation's largest populations of Arab Americans.

Q: Who are Arab Americans?
A: Arab Americans are U.S. citizens and permanent residents who trace their ancestry to, or who emigrated from, Arabic-speaking places in southwestern Asia and northern Africa, a region known as the Middle East. Not all people in this region are Arabs. Most Arab Americans were born in the United States.

Q: How many Arab Americans are there?
A: Estimates vary because the U.S. Census does not use Arab American as a classification. Most estimates put the number at about 3 million.

Q: Where do Arab Americans live?
A: They live in all 50 states. The population centers are Detroit, Los Angeles, New York and Chicago.

Q: Do Arabs have a shared language?
A: The Arabic language is one of the great unifying characteristics of Arab people. Even so, there are many different dialects, and people from some regions have difficulty understanding those from some others. Modern Standard Arabic is used in formal letters, books, and newspapers.

Not all Arab Americans know Arabic, of course, as many are second-, third- and fourth-generation Americans.

Q: Do Arabs have a shared religion?
A: No. They belong to many religions, including Islam, Christianity, Druze, Judaism, and others. It's a common misperception to think that Arab traditions are Islamic, or that Islam unifies all Arabs. Yes, most Arabs around the world are Muslim. But more Arab Americans are Christian than are Muslim.

Q: But isn't Islam mostly an Arab religion?
A: No. Only about 12 percent of the estimated 1 billion Muslims worldwide are Arabs. There are more Muslims in Indonesia, for example, than in all Arab countries combined.

Q: What do Muslims believe?
A: Muslims, followers of Islam, follow five basic precepts:

• There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the prophet.
• Followers should pray five times a day, facing Mecca, a city in Saudi Arabia that is the holiest place.
• They should give alms to the poor.
• They should fast during the holy month of Ramadan.
• And they should make a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Q: Is Islam a violent religion?
A: The Koran teaches nonviolence. Throughout history, political groups and leaders have used Islam and other religions to justify many things, including violence.

Q: What race are Arab Americans?
A: They may have white skin and blue eyes, olive or dark skin and brown eyes. Hair textures differ. The United States has, at different times, classified Arab immigrants as African, Asian, white, European, or as belonging to a separate group.

Q: Are Arabs an official minority group?
A: The U.S. government does not classify Arabs as a minority group for purposes of employment and housing.

Q: Who are some well-known Arab Americans?
A: Here are just a few:

• Christa McAuliffe, the teacher/astronaut who died aboard the space shuttle Challenger.
• Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal.
• Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterback Doug Flutie.
• Radio celebrity Casey Kasem.
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving founder Candy Lightner.
• Jacques Nasser, president and chief executive officer of Ford Motor Co.
• U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham.

To Safety
Educators shepherd students through chaos.

Among the heroes of September 11 were the educators of lower Manhattan who guided students out of the nine schools that were evacuated. New York City educators, members of the American Federation of Teachers, offer their accounts.

Public school teachers walked-and sometimes carried-terrified grade-school children to safety. Some of them were new teachers only four days at their jobs who hadn't even experienced a fire drill.

"We didn't know what was going on," one United Federation of Teachers member said. "Was it safer inside or outside? We moved the kids from the cafeteria to the gym to the basement."

At PS 89, teacher James Herlihy kept kids quiet and shouted, "Keep moving!" even as the second tower in the shadow of their school crumbled almost before their eyes.

"We all just did our jobs," Herlihy said. Then, in a rare light moment, he added that the junior high school kids fully recognized how serious things were because "when I yelled for quiet in the cafeteria, it was quiet. That never happens."

vvv
At PS 42, Virginia Eng's class of fourth graders, intent on studying English as a second language, saw the attack. "One student asked why Superman didn't come and help to hold up the building," Eng said. "When we came out, it was like a great monster moving toward us-a great cloud of smoke and debris."

vvv
At the Sun Yat Sen School on Hester Street, IS 131, paraprofessional Marion Thom was helping to register new students who spoke only Chinese. "We heard this big noise, but we just went about our business," said Thom. "And then later we felt the vibration, and somebody came in and told us a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center."

vvv
From many of the classrooms at PS 89, "The children could actually see the first plane hit," said UFT chapter leader Rachel Zindler.

"We evacuated after the first building fell. We were about seven blocks up the highway when the second building collapsed. We turned around, and watched, and screamed."

Two children who were unable to go home with family members spent the night with a teacher. Happily, their parents were able to track them down, and each child said good-night to their parents on the phone before going to bed. 4

This coverage is from the Web site of the AFT's state affiliate, New York State United Teachers (www.nysut.org),
and used with permission.

NEAFT September 11 Fund

The National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers have established an NEAFT September 11 Fund to provide long-range assistance to the children and affected families of the victims who were killed on that most terrible of days.

The Fund will support these people in a number of ways, including helping them pay for their college education. NEA and AFT have committed $200,000 each to start up this fund.

NEA state and local Associations, as well as individual NEA members, are welcome to contribute. Checks made out to the NEAFT September 11 Fund can be sent to NEA (attention Dennis Van Roekel), 1201 16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20036.

Resources

NEA's nine-part school safety video series, The Safe Schools Now Network, includes four programs that can help educators cope with possible after-effects on the job in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks:

Episode 6: Violence-Related Stress
See what some schools are doing to help defuse aggression. In one segment, school staff recount their personal experiences with violence-related stress. Produced in collaboration with the U.S. Center for Mental Health Services.

Episode 7: Dealing with Hate & Bias in School
Learn about effective ap-proaches--including "Anytown," an immersion program developed by the National Council for Community and Justice, and the innovative "Aggressors, Victims, and Bystanders" curriculum.

Episode 8: Building Skills to Manage Student Anger
Watch techniques that help students channel anger in useful ways, including the elementary school "I Can Problem Solve" curriculum and peer mediation programs in middle and high schools.

Episode 9: Mind Over Media
With Al Roker, see how critical viewing skills are taught at elementary, middle, and high schools around the country. A co-production with Court TV in collaboration with Cable in the Classroom.

$14.95 per program for NEA members ($115 for the nine-part series), and a discussion and resource guide is included. To order, contact the NEA Profes-sional Library at 800/229-4200 or online at www.nea.org/books.

Visit www.safeschoolsnow.org for the discussion and re-source guides and other materials.

NEA's Crisis Comunica-tions Guide and Toolkit can help your Association respond fast in an emergency, with suggestions on what to do on Day One and every day thereafter, general strategy, and generic press releases you can customize. It's at www.nea.org/crisis.

lFor more on how NEA members can help their students and their colleagues deal with stress during crises, see this month's Health and Fitness section on pages 36 and 37.