Schools

Middle-Schoolers Reflect on 9/11, Patriotism

Students at Abbott Middle School write letters to thank military members, volunteer or pen poetry as social studies classes mark 10-year anniversary of attacks.

Students at in West Bloomfield don't remember the Sept. 11 attacks, but they won't forget them.

Jo-Anne Scheloske's sixth- and eighth-grade social studies classes are working through next week Wednesday on projects designed to expose them to patriotism and help them gain a better understanding of what happened on 9/11. Although middle school students would have been toddlers when terrorists struck the United States on 9/11, fellow Abbott social studies teacher Katie Kalinski explained that it's easy to understand why this age group is particularly inquisitive.

"What they don't immediately know about the difference in Middle Eastern culture versus the United States when they walk in here, they make up for with their understanding of the religious diversity at this school," seventh-grade teacher Kalinski said.

Find out what's happening in West Bloomfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Some of these students are being bar and bat mitzvahed, others are studying for Confirmation," she said. "In seventh grade, we talk about the history of the Middle East and, obviously, the conflicts between the three major religions."

Students in Scheloske's class Friday were asked to wear red, white and blue and chose between three projects to work on in a nod to the nationwide 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance, organized by the nonprofit MyGoodDeed Inc. as a federal day of recognition. Students chose between writing a letter of of thanks to a person in the military, volunteering or writing a poem about 9/11.

Find out what's happening in West Bloomfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I want them to know how fortunate they are to be American citizens or on their way to becoming American citizens and I want them to carry that love of patriotism," Scheloske said. "I don’t want kids to take for granted what they have."

Scheloske added that she was teaching when the attacks happened and chose not to show the news on television until the next day.

"At this age, people think there’s a misconception of middle school students ... they certainly feel sad, but they're not scared," she said. "They ask questions and they're open to learning about (9/11)."

An open discussion forum followed Friday after viewing a Nickelodeon special news report designed for school children to learn about 9/11. Several students inquired whether airplane crashes such as that of US Airways Flight 1549 in 2009 in the Hudson River or were terrorist attacks in the same vein as 9/11.

Middle-schoolers reflect

Student Michael McGibbon said that he hopes as a college graduate 10 years from now, that the 20-year anniversary will have an even greater significance in American media and culture than it does today, 10 years after the attacks.

"We don't want history to repeat itself, so it's important to learn about why this is important," he said.

Student Madeleine Hughes said that she intends to spend the weekend catching up with her neighbor and former Abbott student, Daniel Carpenter, who serves in the Marines and did a tour in Afghanistan after 9/11.

"I want to ask him what he’s gone through and what he does and what he has to train for," she said. "It’s going to be interesting to see what it will be like on Sunday, what activities are happening in the country."

The day hits student Reilly Card closer to home, as she explained that her father, a building contractor scheduled to work in the Pentagon on 9/11, was asked not to work that day and possibly avoided death in doing so.

"I just imagine what it's like for those families who did lose people, because I can't imagine what it'd feel like to have lost my dad," she said. "We've discussed it every year since then."

Making connections

Scheloske said that building a personal connection to 9/11 through one-on-one contact with service personnel is instrumental in her lesson plan.

"When it hits you personally like that, it opens up your interest in the subject," she said.

Kalinski echoed that sentiment: "I feel like I’m building up a trust with students so they can talk freely and when they can talk freely, it opens them up to learning."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from West Bloomfield