The Reflections & Renewal of UFT Members, Ten Years After
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Courage The Reflections & & Strength Renewal of UFT Members, Ten Years after September 11 gh05510_9_11_booklet_B.indd 1 8/17/11 3:45 PM gh05510_9_11_booklet_B.indd 2 8/17/11 3:45 PM UFT members work every day to make a difference in people’s lives. On September 11, 2001, in the face of horror and uncer- tainty, we were there to make Michael Mulgrew a crucial and, in many cases, a UFT President life-saving difference. Teachers, nurses, guidance counselors, paraprofessionals and others led their charges out of danger, made sure students across the city were cared for while com- munication and transporta- tion systems were frozen, and calmed the fears of hundreds of thousands of other children. They set a shining example of courage and inspiration. This book is filled with a few of the many heartfelt stories that we have gathered from members about that horren- dous day and its aftermath. They reflect the best in all of us. 1 gh05510_9_11_booklet_B.indd 1 8/17/11 3:45 PM We begin the lesson, a short FIRST story by Edgar Allen Poe. It is September 11, a Tuesday, 8:45 a.m., the sky MOMENTS is clear and blue, the air crisp and clean, a stellar September morning by all September 11, 2001 marked accounts. As we read on, I my third day of teaching in a stand at my desk, textbook public school. In the beginning in hand, every now and then days of school, there were many stealing a glance at the blue announcements being made sky through a set of four, over the intercom reminding six foot high windows; just teachers to begin their lessons, beyond these windows can to bring down attendance, be seen downtown Brooklyn and to say goodbye to parents and the Manhattan skyline. who were still lingering; each A student who has been announcement was more reading aloud comes to the distracting for me than the end of the quote, and with previous, none of which I heard that, another student, Debra, because I was battling with shoots up her hand. my kindergartners for quiet. “Debra?” So when the school secretary I wait for my student to came into my room at 9:15 to make some astute comment see if I wanted to call my family, concerning the reading, but I was, of course, confused. am puzzled by her reaction. “Why? Did something happen?” From her seat, Debra “Aren’t you listening to the turns her gaze toward the announcements?” windows, sets her sights on I wasn’t. something far beyond our “A plane has hit the World classroom and then, finally Trade Center.” breaking the silence, politely Frozen in disbelief, I was cer- asks, “Is that the World Trade tain Alice was mistaken, that Center on fire?” she had just heard incorrectly. I walk over to the window, Instead she insisted that it was and suddenly my eyes are true and asked me if I’d like to caught by the sight of what go to the corner of our street to appears to be flames coming see for myself. Our corner gave out of the top floors of one way to a once perfect view of of the Towers. I turn back to the majestic buildings. face the class, but most of So I left my classroom with the students are already out another teacher to see for my- of their seats, having made self that the buildings were, in a beeline for the windows. fact, aflame. They were. And I Quite suddenly we are all called my family. standing there looking In the hour that followed, out through those large students were dismissed one- classroom windows, bearing by-one with their moms and witness to what is happening dads and caregivers, until that before us. last child fell prey to the days For a moment there is an that lay ahead, days that they eerie silence in the room, would likely not understand nor then one of my students cuts would they soon forget. through the silence, points to Later that morning, I returned the tower just across the East to the corner to see what had River, the tower whose flames transpired outside my con- keeps growing even higher, fusing world at 116 West 11th and says out loud in a matter- Street. There, I saw hundreds of-fact voice, to all of us, to of New Yorkers lined up to give none of us in particular: “My blood at St. Vincent’s Hospital. mother is in there.” And I saw parents, children and passers-by standing tearful and Phyllis Witte motionless. The Twin Towers were gone. Nancy S. Wahl 2 gh05510_9_11_booklet_B.indd 2 8/17/11 3:45 PM I was presenting a library ori- My third graders were working on entation lesson to a 2nd grade a writing project when the classroom class, when another teacher phone rang. The office said to pack up one of my students because she came in and asked me to turn was going home. I no sooner got her on the TV because “some- packed up when the phone rang again thing terrible was happening and two more students were going in Manhattan.” I turned on the home. I asked the office why were all TV and turned it away from the these students leaving. “Oh I guess no class and watched the horrible one came to your classroom. We will events out of the corner of my send someone up.” eye while giving a cheerful les- Georgia appeared at my door and said, “We aren’t sure what is going son to the children, as other on but a plane has hit the World teachers came in. Trade Center. Go to my office. You Of course we all thought it can see it from my window.” Smoke was an accident at first and was streaming up hundreds of feet in then we saw the second plane. the air. I thought of all the class trips We remembered that we would I had taken to the top of the World be able to see the towers Trade Center and feared for those who were trapped on the top floors. from the library window and Who knew that it would be the last watched in horror as the sec- time I would see the towers grace the ond plane struck; we saw it in New York skyline? a kind of double vision from the I kept the students on task and window and on TV. tried to stay calm. Georgia said that I By then the children were needed to find out if any student had aware that something was hap- a parent who works in Manhattan, but pening and asked what was not tell them yet what is going on. I announced to the class that wrong. Since we really didn’t we were going to switch to Math. know the ramifications at that “Children, just a few days ago we point, we said there was a very learned how to take a survey and bad fire in Manhattan. record it on a tally table. Mrs. Rocco It was after the children re- said that she thinks more of our turned to their classroom with parents work in Manhattan. I think their teacher that we heard more of our parents work in Queens. about the Pentagon, the crash Let’s take a tally and see who is right!” I proceeded to mark their in Pennsylvania, and saw the replies on a chart and put a check towers collapse. on a class list circling the names The rest of the day was of students who said their parents tense. Several staff members worked in Manhattan. One student had family who worked in the proudly said his Mom’s office is in towers and we waited in fear the biggest building in Manhattan until we heard that they were but didn’t know if it was the towers or the Empire State building. I put a safe. (Later we would find out red star next to his name and prayed that several staff members for her safety. had lost friends, or the sons of Students left one by one. The friends.) The office staff were children who were not picked up were fielding phone calls from fran- sent to the library. When I opened tic parents needing to be reas- the door to the room I saw the smoky sured that their children were view and quickly pulled the shades. safe, and of course many par- My mind was racing. “How am I going to keep them safe? What if they ents came to school to take attack other parts of the city? I need their children home. We had to to keep them away from the windows. firmly insist that they behave What do I tell them? Should we go calmly so as to not frighten the to the basement where the walls children. are thicker? How will I comfort the The principal and any teach- children if they lose a loved one?” ers that could, would stay until I can see it all, relive it all. every child was picked up. The Patricia Schulze last child was accounted for at approximately 6 p.m. with many tales of escape on foot from lower Manhattan and long travel delays. Joan Malewitz 3 gh05510_9_11_booklet_B.indd 3 8/17/11 3:45 PM ESCAPE We came out on Thames Street walked about a block, I felt that and made the right towards she was okay so I proceeded Greenwich Street.