I've been teaching for ten years. Ten long years. And although I'm not happy in my profession at the moment, in the blink of an eye I am back in my classroom of my first teaching post. I can remember many things about that first week teaching; the sheer panic of being responsible for a class of thirty children, every single child's face and name, and the tree outside my classroom window.
And standing in the staffroom at the end of my fifth day of teaching and the cleaners asking if we'd heard the news.
It really didn't mean much to me. I knew that the Twin Towers existed and I knew that they were famous. That was it. I was only 24 and about to get married. I was fresh to the adult world; naive to world politics and current affairs. I remember thinking, "Well this must have been an accident, why would anyone do that on purpose?" and I went to finish marking the Maths and English books like a good teacher.
It wasn't until I got home, looked at my (then) fiance's face and turned on the news, that I started to understand. To understand that there is evil in the world; that a group of people would really sacrifice the lives of thousands of people in order to make a point.
The sight of the second plane crashing will stay with me forever. Even thinking about it now, the sickness is there. The image of those people jumping from the windows. I turned from the television and asked why didn't they just go down the stairs. My future husband looked at me and explained gently that they couldn't, they were trapped. That's the moment when I realised the horror.
To then find out that the Pentagon had also been attacked was just astounding, and really brought home the severity of the operation. But the one that seems to shock everybody to the core is United Airlines Flight 93. The choice that those brave souls made is testamount to the good in every human being on this planet. That at heart, humankind cannot allow evil to prevail.
On this day, the 10th anniversary of that fateful day, I intend to remember.
To remember the victims of the Twin Towers, of the Pentagon, of the four planes. Their families. But also to remember all the brave men and women who have fought to bring humanity back to this world, so that my child can grow up knowing the goodness in the human race.
That's brought a little Tear to my eye. It is a time to reflect and those images captured on the news will live in my memory forever. For me, the worst memory was the phone messages send to loved ones when the callers knew that their time was up. That was heart breaking. Xx
Brilliant Post x
i would just like to say that this is a lovely and very touching post xx
A very touching post. We all remember where we were. I was on a lunch shift at the pub just before I started Uni in the October. Again my husband had gone back to work teaching like you (although he was not my husband at that point and nor were we engaged). I did not really really comprehend what had happened and when people were getting text messages initially I didn't believe it…then my friend rung on my way home and told me put the telle on. Like you I watched the second plane and it will haunt me forever. My heart also goes to those that lost their lives, the loved ones left behind and the brave fire fighters and rescue teams that risked their lives to help save. Such a tragic day and one we pray is never repeated. x
Very poignant and I think you've summed up how a lot of us felt at the time – confused, bewildered, shocked and so very sad. Not sure if you read Tara's post from last year that she re-posted this week, about her honeymoon, but it's a beautiful juxtaposition to the sheer evilness of those bombers. Thanks for posting this x
great post. It's a day I will remember forever, that feeling of being scared & lonely always comes back to me when I think about it
x
I too remember watching the second plane hit and will never forget how horrific it was, to watch it live like so many others around the world. Pure disbelief and then such deep sadness for everybody involved. The remembrance service is very moving x
Thanks for this important post.
A wonderful post in remembrance of that day. Mine was school based too. I do hope the world can now move on.
Thank you for your honesty and inspiration xxx
Brilliant post. I was like you, I knew they existed but that was it. I didn't really fully understand what was going on until I saw pictures of the second tower coming down. Thats when I was really scared. I was working in central London and my manager had told me to go straight home as there were rumours of "Londln being next". I just stared at the TV in total shock and disbelief that evening and couldn't sleep at all. RIP the poor victims and may their families be blessed with peace too.