WASHINGTON -- Middle school teacher Yvonne Mason thought she was prepared for anything in her classroom.
Then the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, happened.
The day was overwhelming, recalled Mason, who has taught at several middle and high schools in Greenville, S.C. While she calmed down her students, she also had to trust teachers a few miles away to guide her own daughter through the chaotic day.
"I watched the second tower live in my classroom," Mason said. "I'm glad I didn't have it on when the kids were there. Then I had a class come in. One of my students had a father who is a private pilot for a large corporation who was in the air on his way to New York."
The events of 9/11 occurred while most children were in their Tuesday morning classes, forcing teachers to become the first responders in translating the attacks to their students.
For some, it was a defining moment -- Mason realized she was more than a teacher. "We are surrogate parents for the time that we have them during the day," she said.
"They asked, 'What happened? Are we in a war? Who would do this?'" Mason said she remembers thinking, "I have to make this as calm as I can. I want them to stay here in a framework of normalcy."
While Mason dealt with middle schoolers, other teachers who had younger, more impressionable students, had to make quick judgement calls about what to tell their classes.
Rachel Swanson was student-teaching kindergarten at the time, and said most people in her school were in disbelief. Swanson, more than a thousand miles away from New York in Superior, Wis., said it felt bizarre, as if it wasn't actually happening. The teachers decided not to say anything to the kindergartners because they felt it wasn't their place to do so. They waited instead for the children to bring it up, Swanson said.
"As a teacher you don’t get caught up in a moment, the moment is in front of you -- 20 some blank faces staring at you, and you question your role and responsibility as a teacher," said Cassandra Allara, a seventh-grade teacher from Kanawha County, W.Va. Allara turned on the TV just in time to see the second tower fall, and while she tried to process it herself, she had to explain the events to her class.
Swanson and Allara both said they made quick decisions about what was appropriate, and said their main goal was to ensure the children felt secure.
"I was told later that many teachers were asked to turn their televisions off and to allow parents to discuss the day’s events with their children," Allara said. "Our community is surrounded by chemical plants, so many families were scared of similar attacks closer to home and kept their children from school for many days."
Since 9/11 occurred during a school day, teachers say they often face an onslaught of emotions when they give lessons on the attacks from the same classrooms they were in 10 years ago. Sarah Roeske was teaching at Mountain View High School in Stafford, Va., 45 minutes south of the Pentagon. "Being in the classroom was very tough, because it was so emotional, especially where we live," she said.
"In the beginning, it was shock, such a sense of vulnerability, that my generation had not felt. So much of it was emotional," Roeske said. "In the years since, it has become a little easier to teach just because we've had a little bit of distance, we can turn more toward curricular issues."
While teachers say their own 9/11-related emotions still hold strong, they note they are increasingly dealing with students who have no recollection of the day.
Many of Roeske's students have relatives who served in Iraq or Afghanistan. She often opens her Sept. 11 unit by asking her students about the causes of the attack -- and every year, she is stunned when most don't know. "There is a lot of practical stuff that has to be taught because they were so young," she said.
Additional Reporting by HuffPost's Joy Resmovits.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.