9/11 Reflections from a South Korean Classroom

Yesterday I had briefly mentioned to my students that today was "9/11." Some  thought it was my birthday and they brought in a cheesecake from Paris Baguette, they smiled, clapped, gave me a few candies and said "Happy Birthday." I said "thank you so much, but it isn't my birthday."

"Yesterday you said 9/11 was a day to remember." One of my multi-co students explained to the others that it wasn't a happy day. They had so many questions, things I never thought I would ever talk about or even be asked for that matter. I was surprised that it made me so emotional. "What happened?" "Can we see the video?" or "Oh, I remember this, so many people died" were some of the responses. More than anything I heard them say "why" and I had no good reason to give them because there wasn't one. It was something I had thought about and asked myself since 9th grade gym class when they wheeled in the televisions and I realized America was about to change so much.

One of my students said something very poignant to me "why will you remember when is something you can never forget?" Even though the English wasn't spot on, I understood the intent. It was very true. This is my third year spending 9/11 in another country, my third year feeling very sad and not having many Americans to confide in, but it is also the first year that I have shared my grief with anyone.

When class was over, one of my students left me this....

"Remember 9/11/01 <3"

I learned a lot about my kids today. I learned about their capacity for kindness and understanding, I learned that feelings transcend language barriers, but I also learned that tragedy is human, not nationalistic.