The+Effects+of+September+11th,+2001+on+America's+educational+system

On September 11th, 2001, America experienced the worst terror attack of the modern era. Once the attack was over, the after effects were detrimental to our society and some can even still be felt today. However, no lasting effect is as crucial to our future as that of the American educational system. It should be noted that only 8 States include a requirement in the curriculum that pertains to 9/11. (Bellows) Also, a simple internet search shows you that there is little to no evidence of teachers making lesson plans around the destruction of the Twin Towers. (Waterson 151) This can be rightfully attributed to the lose of jobs teachers have experienced when discussing 9/11 and their views on the subject. There is also a number of teachers who believe a classroom discussion is the best way to tackle the subject matter. While this may seem like a good idea, many student's participate in a discussion solely to prove they have the right answer which can turn into a heated debate where students look to the educator for the right answers. While many solutions have been proposed, none have taken national effect. The longer this nation takes to decide an official curriculum to discuss September 11th, 2001, the further the children and future generations of America are from grasping the importance of what happened that day.



__References:__
Bellows, Elizabeth, and Aaron Bodle. “Curricular Messages: How State Standards and Children's Books Narrate 9/11.” The Journal of Social Studies Research, vol. 41, no. 3, July 2017, pp. 207–216., http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.gsu.edu/science/article/pii/S0885985X16300419?#! Find the full article here

Waterson, Robert A., and Mary E. Haas. “Dare We Not Teach 9/11 Yet Advocate Citizenship Education?” The Social Studies, vol. 102, no. 4, July 2011, pp. 147–152., doi:10.1080/00377996.2011.584281. Find the full article here

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