To all Lower School Parents…
“An airplane bumped into a building, and the building got fire on it.”
That was my then-two-year-old daughter’s observation of the news on September 11, 2001. She accidentally walked into the living room while I was watching CNN. Today she has no recollection of the event. For my wife or me to try to explain the events to her now at age four other than to let her know that some bad people did something they shouldn’t have done would be fruitless. The tragedies of 9/11 are very real, yet much of the reasoning and politics behind the event are too abstract to expect that our kindergarten through second graders will reasonably comprehend them.
In the same way that those of us born during the Vietnam War were aware but never fully understood its significance until much later, most of our children will only understand the basic facts surrounding the incident. Children rarely get anxious or fearful when they know the basic facts. When the information we give them becomes too involved for them to comprehend, they can become nervous and frightened. While the tragedy seemed like yesterday for us adults, two years is almost half a lifetime ago for some of our children.
In my opinion, parents should not assume that any anxiety exists unless they see it. As our media and culture gear up for nation-wide commemoration, make yourself available to your child to address any questions or concerns, but do not search for fear where fear doesn’t exist. This is especially true for third and fourth graders who will have a greater understanding of the events and concepts behind them. If you sense unease or anxiety, ask them what they know of the incident, and be available to answer questions with some very concrete responses. Reassure them that we live in a free and safe country where we remember our past not out of fear but out of love and respect. Children will gauge their level of concern by how concerned their parents appear. As a parent, you know your child’s personality better than anyone. We all have different expectations of what we want our children to know, and Walden School is sensitive to this fact.
During our Monday assembly, September 8, we will commemorate September 11 with the help of our Upper School Drama Club, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. A series of student-led readings will be featured along with special music by Walden senior, Casey Culbreth. The presentation is organized as follows:
Today we remember and honor the victims and the heroes….
Magnolia reads – To Those Who Fail
Today we share our compassion…
Amber and Theadra reads – My People
Today we share our patriotism….
Scouts present the colors and lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance
Today we share our hopes for peace
Drama students read Poems and Prayers for Peace
Casey
Culbreth sings Let There Be Peace On Earth
While we are not requiring that students attend the assembly, it was designed to be appropriate for grades K-12. We hope the event will work to strengthen our sense of community, express appreciation for our national freedoms, declare our patriotism and our hope for peace on Earth. As always, parents are welcome.
For students who have fears or concerns, there are a variety of resources available to parents. One of the most comprehensive is the website for the National Association of School Psychologists, nasponline.org.
While the events of September 11, 2001 continue to shape our economy and international relations, its commemoration provides our families with a wonderful opportunity to look inward towards our own families and the people who matter most in our world. Though we’ve had to make some very tough choices as a nation, we owe it to our children to present the tragedy as an example of how freedom, respect and human kindness will always triumph over evil.
Our School Head, Linda Van Houten, eloquently summed up Walden School’s feelings in last year’s letter…
“In
closing, I would reiterate, the mission of Walden School is “to prepare our
students to flourish in a diverse and changing world.” In order to achieve our
mission, the adults in our children’s lives need to remember, that overriding
the reawakening of our feelings of sadness and perhaps even anger during this
painful time in our history, there has to be a shared sense of responsibility
to help our children understand the importance of respecting and appreciating
cultural differences. In partnership with you, Walden is committed to that
goal.”
Enjoy the weekend’s weather,
Brian Archibald
Lower School Division Head