Departments: Resources
Finding Hope in Tragedy

A collection of art and poems by New York City public school children serves up compelling food for thought on this first anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Messages to Ground Zero: Children Respond to September 11
Collected by Shelley Harwayne and the New York City Board of Education
176 pp. $14.95 paperback; Heinemann
To order, visit www.heinemann.com or call 800/225-5800.

It would be difficult to ponder the cruel impact of last September 11 without thinking foremost about children. Children now without parents. Children trying to make sense of a tragedy even adults haven't fully grasped. Children in disbelief that hatred could manifest itself so wretchedly.

Yet, as Messages to Ground Zero reminds us, children have a remarkable knack for understanding the nuances of tragedy-and more profoundly, for expressing creatively what they know. It is what they do here, valiantly, in a collection of images, poems, and essays that speak as much to the pain of that horrific day as to its hidden promise.

The children of the New York City Public Schools bear witness in this sparkling volume. For them, especially, the task of crafting these works could not have been easy. As the World Trade Center towers fell, they were the ones who smelled the smoke and heard the human wails- the ones who would watch the daily cleanup and suffer the nightmares.

Yet one senses from this collection that perhaps the very act of writing and drawing became these students' footpath to healing.

We hear the angst and, of course, feel the sadness-lots of it. But we also are bowled over by expressions of patriotism, peace, love, and hope.

In one essay, a 13-year-old Russian boy pretends to go back in time and stand face to face with Osama bin Laden, the child. "I look into his eyes and try to ask him, 'Do you need help? Do you need love?'" In his imaginary world, the boy has the power to kill little bin Laden. But recalling his war-torn years in Russia, he decides: "I cannot...I am not an evil person who can kill another."

It's all good stuff-and a blaring affirmation of the essential role of the arts in children's lives. Shelley Harwayne, the superintendent of New York School District #2 who assembled the book, says the students' impulse to write and paint was natural and immediate.

After the attack, so much "incredible" poetry and art poured into her office that she suggested the chancellor put out a call to all the city's superintendents. They received an overwhelming response and quickly earmarked profits from the resulting book to benefit children who lost friends or family that day.

"When people are coping with tragedies," Harwayne says, "they create beautiful things."

The desire, of course, is for others to be inspired by these works, talk about them, muse, and in the end, be hopeful. After all, if the children of New York can live through the deadliest terrorist act on American soil and still see promise, doesn't this say something about our own resilience?

--Marilyn Milloy

New from the NEA Professional Library

The First-Year Teacher: Teaching with Confidence (K-8)
By Karen A. Bosch and
Katharine C. Kersey
168 pp. $16.95 NEA members
$20.95 nonmembers
#2014-6-00-FN

Written by experienced teachers and recently revised-with 24 new pages of material--The First-Year Teacher offers step-by-step plans for the critical first four weeks of school. New teachers will find tips for communicating with parents, strategies for dealing with paperwork, solutions to common discipline problems, and activities to acclimate elementary and middle school students to their new classrooms. If you're new to teaching or merely new to your school, let The First-Year Teacher be your guide to a confident and successful year.

To order, call 800/229-4200, or check the Web at www.nea.org/books.

Excerp
Your school's open house is a valuable opportunity for making a good first impression with parents. Here [is] a great idea for making parents feel welcome and getting your students involved in the event.

• Prepare a video depicting the school day to show to parents. Show students involved in various activities-academic subjects, special activities, lunch, getting on the bus. This is an excellent way for parents to learn what life is like for their kids, and it lets you "off the hook" from having to stand up in front of parents the entire night.

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Books by NEA Members

Beyond the Bus Stop
By Robert Weyhmuller, Jr.
Parents obviously play a vital role in children's education, but sometimes they don't know the best ways to help their kids. Beyond the Bus Stop offers 180 tips on how parents can guide children to succeed in school. With 22 years of classroom experience, the author provides practical, jargon-free tips on working with teachers, homework, social skills, keeping kids healthy, and more. 198 pp. $11.95 from Heinemann. Order online at www.heinemann.com.

Here's How to Reach Me: Matching Instruction to Personality Type in Your Classroom
By Judith A. Pauley, Dianne F. Bradley, and Joseph F. Pauley
This guide for effective classroom management describes six personality types present in students and uses narratives to show teachers how to motivate each type. The concepts can bring new efficiency to staff and parent collaboration. 216 pp. $24.95 from Brookes Publishing Co. Order online at www.brookespublishing.com.

Look Again! Appealing Bulletin Board Ideas for Secondary Students
By Judy Serritella
Tired of putting up the same bulletin board every year? Then peruse this book for some new ideas. Choose from more than 200 suggestions, grouped by subject, that are simple enough to create quickly and designed to make students and faculty take notice. $36.95 from Linworth Publishing, Inc. Order online at www.linworth.com.

Using Journals with Reluctant Writers
By Scott Abrams
A language arts tool for teachers who want to persuade students to start the flow of ideas, this book demonstrates how to effectively lead students through critical thinking and relevant and proficient writing. Each chapter begins with a quote, offers questions for reflection and prompts for essay writing, and ends with a list of suggested videos and related readings. 146 pp. $29.95 from Corwin Press, Inc. Order online at www.corwinpress.com.

Primary Science Readers' Theatre
By Sharon Solomon
Get students reading with the 11 original scripts in this book. Each piece deals with science topics including habitats, nutrition, space, energy, dinosaurs, and the food chain. Scripts have enough parts for all to participate. Suggested songs reinforce concepts, while follow-up activities develop higher level thinking skills. 112 pp. $14.95 from Pieces of Learning. To order, call 800/729-5137.

TVTips

On September 11, all of the major networks-NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX-will air special programming to commemorate the tragic events of last fall. Check local listings for specific programs and time.

Accidental Hero: Room 408
PBS, September 19, 8 p.m., ET, check local listings.
NEA member Tommie Lindsey, a San Francisco East Bay high school teacher, changes the direction of students' lives by introducing them to forensics-competitive speech, debate, and oral interpretation. In a school where fewer than 38 percent of students go to college, almost 100 percent of Lindsey's classes continue on with post-high school education. This documentary follows Lindsey's racially diverse class for two years-from the classroom to the state forensic championship-and captures how Lindsey creates champions by guiding students to become confident competitors, who articulately confront issues of race, poverty, and cultural awareness in front of large audiences.

Looking Back to 9/11
The History Channel, September 2-14, check local listings.
The History Channel will air several programs focusing on the World Trade Center, the war in Afghanistan, and the history of Islam. The programs inlcude:

• The World Trade Center: Rise and Fall of an American Icon--focuses on the building and the destruction of the towers from an engineering perspective;

• The Day the Towers Fell--the first photographers at the site when the towers collapsed recount their stories;

• Inside Islam--an in-depth look at the world's fastest-growing religion;

• War on Terror--A Year in Review--A look at the war on terror.

Many programs will air more than once; check local listings for a complete schedule.

Teaching Civics After September 11
CNN, CNN Student News, September 10-14, check local listings.
CNN's four-part series looks at American students coping with last fall's tragedy. Part I explores how K-12 students feel about their world. Are they more patriotic or pessimistic about the future? Part II asks publishers, historians, and teachers if the civics curriculum has changed. Part III examines civics outside the classroom. Are students more interested in voting and political activism? And, Part IV compares the United States' past and future regarding constitutional government. At what other time in our history has our country faced a similiar challenge, and how did we respond?

A Tragedy Remembered
A&E, September 11, all day, check local listings.
A&E looks at last fall's events with these programs:

• Investigative Reports: Anatomy of September 11--the story of the 100 minutes that changed the world;

• Minute by Minute: Attack on the Pentagon--first-person accounts of the day's events with archival footage;

• Biography: Rudolph Guiliani--the former New York City Mayor's reflections on his upbringing, political career, and September 11.

In Memoriam: September 11, 2001, New York City
HBO, September 11, check local listings.
HBO will rebroadcast this documentary that follows Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and his staff through the events of September 11-from the first realization of what happened, through smoke and fire, rescue and recovery, and despair and tears to a newfound strength. The program combines archival documents, eyewitness accounts, and news footage.

The Aftermath of Terror
MTV, Monday mornings, 4 a.m., ET, check local listings.
Examine the sorrow, suspicion, and fear that haunt a New Jersey town following September 11. The film presents the experiences of Arab-Americans in the town and one family's sorrow over the loss of their son. It also looks at the community that unwittingly harbored six of the terrorists, as it tries to overcome discrimination and prejudice.

In Search of America
ABC, September 3-8, primetime, check local listings.
This six-part series, hosted by news anchor Peter Jennings, takes viewers on a journey through modern-day America. The show examines areas of American life, such as religion, government, culture, and immigration, and relates them to history and the ideas of our nation's founders. In Search of America, which will also appear in book form, features a companion website (www.abcnews.com/America) with an online teaching guide for educators on each part of the series.

Classrooms in Crisis
A&E, A&E Classroom, September 12, 7 a.m., ET, check local listings.
Studies predict that within the next three to five years, half of the teachers hired today will quit. As these teachers turn to careers in other fields, the overall number of understaffed schools and overcrowded classrooms continues to grow. In this special, teachers, administrators, and parents reflect on what is happening in their schools and how the ensuing crisis can be averted.

Niagara: A History of the Falls
The History Channel, September 11-12, 6 a.m., ET, check local listings.
Located right in the middle of the state of New York and the province of Ontario, Niagara Falls is considered to be one of the most spectacular natural wonders on the North American continent. This show examines the natural and commercial history of the falls, and its role in the development of North American culture.

Hispanic Heritage Month
CNN, CNN Student News, September 15-October 15, weekdays at 4:30 a.m., ET, check local listings.
In September, in conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month, CNN Student News will focus on current issues prevalent in the U.S. Hispanic community. An online classroom guide for teachers is available at www.CNNstudentnews.com.

Teenage Suicide: The Silent Threat
A&E, A&E Classroom, September 11, 7 a.m., ET, check local listings.
Teenage suicide incidents have more than tripled since the 1950s. Although they still do not fully understand the reasoning behind it, experts agree that teenage suicide does not discriminate and can affect any home or family. In this special, experts describe the many probable causes of this tragedy, and parents of teenagers who have committed suicide share their stories.

POV: Two Towns of Jasper
PBS, September, ET, check local listings.
Emmett Till was lynched in Jasper, Texas, in 1955. In 1998, another racially motivated murder took place in Jasper. James Byrd, an African American, was chained to a truck and dragged behind it for three miles. This collaboration between an African American and a Caucasian filmmaker documents contrasting views on racial interactions in this Texas town, giving an explicit portrait of race in America.

Between the Lions
PBS, September 16-November 18, ET, check local listings.
The family of lions in this kids' series runs a unique sort of library, one in which the characters from books come alive, vowels sing, and words have minds of their own. Children learn to read through fun activities involving puppets, animation, live action, and music, all from a research-based curriculum. Visit the "Between the Lions" companion website at www.pbskids.org/lions.

Classic Arts Showcase
Classic Arts Showcase provides free programming 24 hours a day of ballet, opera, theater, film, art exhibits, and classical music. To see which stations carry Classic Arts Showcase, or to order it, go to www.classicartsshowcase.org or call 323/878-0329.

Web Winners

Remembering September 11
NEA and the NEA Health Information Network are developing a Septem-ber 11 Remembered website. In one place, teachers, parents, and students can discover ideas, lesson plans, and discussion points to help in sharing and learning from this tragedy. Educators are also encouraged to send in their own best lesson plans and parent-child activities. Go to www.neahin.org/programs/schoolsafety/september11/index.htm.

Why the Towers Fell
At this NOVA and PBS website, you can learn about the construction of the World Trade Center towers and understand how the basic laws of metals and heat transfer all came into play when planes crashed into the towers. The website also personalizes its scientific approach by including a firsthand account of a man who escaped from a floor where the planes struck. Go to www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/wtc/.

9/11 Curriculum Tools
A new "9/11 as History" website from the Families and Work Institute provides free, downloadable curriculum tools to help teachers talk with students about September 11. The curriulum comprises 16 lesson plans for pre-kindergarten through 12th- grade students on topics such as safety and fear, values, understanding current events, media awareness, and more. Go to www.familiesandwork.org.

Homework Help
Here's an easy access point that provides teachers, students, and parents a single source for posting and verifying homework assignments for grades K-12. There are no registration fees, and free e-mail and homepages are provided for teachers. Assignments are posted via an easy-to-use template. Go to www.yourhomework.com.

Tech Support
Computer help is only a click away at freeanswers.com. Here you can ask computer-related questions in plain English, and equally simple answers appear within seconds. If you have a printer problem or can't open a file, this site can most likely give you the answers. Go to www.freeanswers.com.

Science Sites
An extensive collection of science websites categorized by subject and grade level, Science Net Links provides reviewed sites for both teachers and students. Subjects include The Nature of Technology, The Living Environment, and Historical Perspectives. All sites are checked for content and accuracy. Go to www.sciencenetlinks.com/resource_index.htm.

Sounding Off
As more students use software such as Microsoft® PowerPoint® to enhance projects, they look on the Internet for clip art and images for their presentations. They also might want sound clips. FindSounds.com has over 100 different sounds from animals to household noises to the sounds of the weather. Visit http://findsounds.com to download some cool sound effects.

Poetry 180
The United States' Nobel Laureate, Billy Collins, selected 180 great poems so kids can read one every day of the school year. Ranging in topic and length, you can read the poems right off the site. Go to www.loc.gov/poetry/180/.

Family Math
Learn practical math with your family at this site, which features 80 10-minute problems on topics such as seeing how far a paper airplane can fly and calculating when people really watch certain television shows. Each activity encourages everyone to think about how math is used in our lives. Go to www.figurethis.org/challenges/toc.htm.