It has been more than two decades since 9/11. Though most who witnessed the horrific attack will never forget it, many young students in America are not being properly taught about the devastating event. Now, the Tunnel to Towers foundation has created the 9/11 institute to help educate students on just what happened on September 11th, 2001.
Just 16 states in the country require students to be taught about 9/11. Frank Siller, of the Tunnel to Towers foundation spoke out against this lack of education. His brother was a New York City firefighter who died working to save others when the World Trade Center was intentionally struck by two airplanes and destroyed.
As the twin towers came crashing down, thousands of people lost their lives, many of which were first responders who selflessly ran into the wreckage attempting to protect others. 2,997 lives were lost that day. In order to ensure that those individuals are not forgotten, Tunnel to Towers has designed lesson plans and are distributing them to every state in the nation for students in grades K-12. This is in an effort to teach future generations about the details in the hopes that they will understand just why 9/11 was such a sadly historic day.
Siller called it “appalling” that so many states have overlooked this information. For American public schools to completely ignore an unprecedented attack on their country displays the necessity for programs like Tunnel to Towers. This charitable organization is not only dedicated to ensuring that the history of this event is properly preserved, but they also provide aid to the families of Gold Star soldiers and first responders who have fallen. In addition, they work to give injured veterans and first responders smart homes, as well as offer support to individuals affected by natural disasters.
Siller discussed how easy it is to forget our history when we do not pass it on to children and grandchildren. While history lessons have become a topic of debate in recent times, due to political initiatives to insert the 1619 project into classrooms, 9/11 was just 21 years ago. Many of the victim’s families are still alive and wish to honor their loved ones. Millions of Americans can still recall where they were and what they were doing when the twin towers fell. The Tunnel to Towers program has drawn from those stories and the details of what happened in order to form classroom lessons that will educate the nation’s children on exactly why the attack was so terrifying, memorable, and how it is important to remember what happened to better direct the future of the nation.
The fact that less than half of the states in the country require students to be taught about the events of 9/11 displays just how far the public education system has fallen. When the next generation is not even being taught about one of the most memorable events of recent history, Americans witness how easily their own past is erased. Tunnel to Towers is committed to ensuring that September eleventh is not forgotten and that those who sacrificed themselves to try and help others are remembered for their bravery.