Education

Worth Noting

March 27, 2002 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

“How do I teach at this difficult time? I teach carefully, desperately, deliberately, and honestly. The day after the World Trade Center was attacked, a young Arab high school student stopped me in the hallway and grasped my hand a little too tightly. She looked pleadingly into my eyes and said, ‘Miss Darvin, I hope that the other kids understand that my family and community had nothing to do with this. They know that, right?’ I took a deep breath and felt tears springing to my eyes. What should I say to this girl? I knew in my heart that there would be those people who wouldn’t understand, who would let hate and prejudice cloud their judgment and their willingness to understand what had occurred. At the same time, I thought about my role as a teacher. I am supposed to help the students feel safe. I am supposed to tell them that everything’s going to be all right. At that moment, though, honesty was the only thing that I could offer to her. ‘I hope so,’ I said softly. ‘I really hope that they do.’ The next morning, on my way to school, I stopped at McDonald’s for breakfast. As I stood in line, I overheard two people talking behind me. One voice said, ‘They should take all of the Muslims that live in New York and send them back to where they came from. We don’t need them here.’ The second voice replied, ‘That’s too good for them. We should just execute them all.’ I thought about my student and began to cry. I left quickly, without any breakfast.”

From Jacqueline Darvin’s “Teaching in the Days After September 11, 2001,” an essay in the March 2002 issue of English Journal, published by the National Council of Teachers of English.

A version of this article appeared in the March 27, 2002 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum How AI Use Is Expanding in K-12 Schools
Join this free virtual event to explore how AI technology is—and is not—improving K-12 teaching and learning.
Federal Webinar Navigating the Rapid Pace of Education Policy Change: Your Questions, Answered
Join this free webinar to gain an understanding of key education policy developments affecting K-12 schools.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Quiz ICYMI: Moms for Liberty Launched Its Own University And More
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Moms for Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at the Moms for Liberty annual convention in Washington, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
Moms for Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at the Moms for Liberty annual convention in Washington, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Education Briefly Stated: April 16, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Quiz ICYMI: Do You Know What 'High-Quality Curriculum' Really Means?
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Image of curricula.
iStock/Getty
Education Quiz ICYMI: Lawsuits Over Trump's Education Policies And More
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Image of money symbol, books, gavel, and scale of justice.
DigitalVision Vectors