[ncte-talk] WTC, Prayers, and Impact on Students

["Michelle Garbis" <mirehol@netrox.net>]

My prayers are with everyone who has family and friends who is -- or may
be-- involved in the recent tragedies.  Unfortunately, several of my
students, have relatives who were involved in the September 11th
tragedies. While I was thrilled to see that these students came to school
today -- and did not give in to terrorists -- it was heartbreaking to
teach them.

My juniors had a particularly unique perspective.  We had been spending
the past week or so reading poems about America, writing about "the"
American Dream, their American Dream, and problems facing America. Today,
one of these students walked in and asked, "Well, what happens to the
American Dream,now?"  It was the springboard for our activity today --
their poems as to their vision of America.  As the kids were doing their
first drafts and I helped out, I could see that these poems are going to
be quite powerful; it was wonderful to see their optimism and patriotism.  
For many of these kids, I suspect, the American Dream suddenly acquired a
whole new meaning.

Michelle Garbis