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Taking the Kids: The 9-11 Museum

By Eileen Ogintz, Tribune Content Agency on

David Rothblatt and Fia Hargil are lifelong New Yorkers, but they don't remember much about Sept. 11.

That's because they were just preschoolers then. Still, what happened that horrible day changed their lives and the lives of many their age.

Today, the two believe that it's important for those their age and younger to appreciate the gravity of what happened. "Kids need to know, even if it is hard," Fia said. David agreed. The two attend high school just a few blocks from the site.

"It's hard for kids to understand ... but 9-11 affects all of us and it is important to know what happened," David said, "to honor those who risked and gave their lives for strangers ... and all of those whose lives were taken for no reason." He adds that his dad's best friend was badly injured that day.

The two are among the six members of the inaugural class of teen ambassadors trained to work with children who visit the National September 11 Memorial Museum, which opened at the new World Trade Center this past May. Since then, nearly 2 million people from 140 nations have visited. (TIP: Purchase tickets online several weeks in advance to get the time slot you want.)

Every Saturday, and more often over the summer and during school break weeks, there are free programs for children as young as six, often led by the teen ambassadors. They may talk about the first responders and make first responder badges or make a painting of the blue sky. There is a massive artwork “Trying to Remember the Color of the Sky that September Morning” that is composed of 2,983 squares, each painted a unique shade of blue, to commemorate those killed in the attacks. "You can't understand the world today without understanding what happened on 9-11," says Noah Rauch, the museum's director of education, who oversees the Junior Ambassador Program, which encourages students to help their peers to understand what happened.

 

"For many young people, 9-11 is primarily another historical event," said Annalee Tai, 16, and another of the teen ambassadors. Thus, it is hard to understand the repercussions of 9-11, how it changed the nature of global interaction and the protocols of national security ... a tragedy that, by launching movements in anti-terrorism and religious tolerance alike, has truly defined our times.

There is also guidance on teaching children about 9-11 and a special "Museum Guide for Visitors with Children." Museum officials suggest encouraging kids to closely look at an artifact and then ask them: "What do you notice?"

Answer their questions with basic facts and be specific. The story of 9-11, museum officials stress, is really thousands of individual stories. Avoid stereotypes and share your own feelings honestly. Most important, if you can't answer a child's question, be honest and say so -- explore the subject together.

Docents are assigned at major sites to help interpret their meaning -- like the Survivors' Stairs, one of two outdoor flights that served as an escape route for hundreds, or the mangled Ladder Company 3 truck, which sustained some of the heaviest casualties of any fire company that day, losing most of its men. Three hundred and 43 firefighters died on Sept. 11.

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