NYC teachers: How are you teaching about 9/11 on its 25th anniversary?

As New York City marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, teachers across the five boroughs are grappling with how to discuss this tragic event with their students. With children only just returning to school one day prior to this year's anniversary, educators face the challenge of building classroom community while addressing a deeply emotional topic.

Several resources exist to support teachers in their efforts. The New York City Education Department provides an instructional guide with links to books, lesson plans, archival materials, and professional development sessions. Additionally, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum offers lessons tailored for students in grades 3-12, along with on-site and virtual visit options.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation also offers a comprehensive 9/11 curriculum. Many educators were present in the classroom on September 11, 2001, while others were students at the time. Suzanne Werner, who worked at Lower Manhattan's P.S. 124, vividly recalls the challenges she faced that fateful morning. Werner was tasked with covering for a fifth-grade teacher whose husband worked at the World Trade Center.

She described the overwhelming emotional response from students and parents, with boxes of letters and teddy bears flooding into the school. Werner's own experience teaching that fall was described as difficult, with the lingering scent of the cloud from the attacks hanging over the neighborhood.