Middle school teacher selected for 9/11 “Teach to Remember” program
Mrs. Kristi Sines was among just 40 educators across the commonwealth to participate in the first ever 9/11 “Teach to Remember” program.
As officials began organizing events for the 25th anniversary, a new initiative was launched to honor the brave passengers and equip educators with tools to teach their students about what happened that day. One of our very own educators, Kristi Sines, was selected to participate in the inaugural teaching symposium, “Teaching with Courage – 9/11 and the Legacy of Flight 93.”
Not only was Sines selected to attend this historic event, her work and that of her team has been selected to be featured in a virtual program, “Teach to Remember,” designed to assist educators in overcoming the challenges of teaching 9/11, and to inspire the next generation with the Flight 93 Story. The team created “The Passport Project” which was created to embody the lessons of courage, hope and remembrance into the classroom using personal biographies of the passengers, crew and first responders, as well as historical artifacts. “The Passport Project” was livestreamed on September 2 and placed as a resource for teachers across the world on the Flight 93 Teach the Teachers program site, “Teach the Teacher 9/11 program.”
Sines was one of just 40 teachers selected from across Pennsylvania, to attend this educational symposium. The program was designed to provide attendees with the tools and information needed to teach students about this tragic day in our nation’s history while highlighting the legacy of the many heroes who lost their lives in defense of our nation.
“Teaching with Courage” was presented by the Flight 93 National Memorial, Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial and the National Park Service. The symposium was held at the Flight 93 Memorial on June 22, 23 and 24. The themes for each day were as follows: Building the foundation: Courage, Hope and Care in Teacher; Exploring Memory, Emotion and Storytelling Through Place; and Teaching with Courage Beyond the Symposium.
The 40 educators were selected across the commonwealth through completion of an essay describing personal 9/11 experiences and why they felt that they would be a good participant for this year’s symposium.
Sines said the focus of the symposium was “how to carry on the stories of the Flight 93 passengers in a dignified manner that personalizes the stories to connect the courage of the passengers. The goal was to encourage the seed of character development in students while preserving the legacies of the Flight 93 crew members through artifacts, testimonies and stories. The symposium’s essential question began with how can we find hope and humanity in one of the most tragic days in our country’s history.”
Sines, a 20-year teacher in the Meyersdale Area School District, has taught sixth and seventh grade students about this sensitive topic for many years, focusing on the bravery and courage of the passengers of Flight 93, the legacy of those lost at the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, and the bravery of the countless first responders and volunteers who responded on 9/11 and the days following.
“As a history teacher, my goal is to help my students understand that history is more than just memorization of important times, dates and names. This symposium was important to me both professionally and professionally as I learned how to utilize artifacts, testimonies and multimedia to convey the humanity, selfless actions and bravery of the collective 40. Professionally, this symposium taught me how to connect my students with emotions and bring the story of Flight 93 alive beyond the words of a textbook,” she explained. “Listening to the panel of Flight 93 family members and walking the memorial where 40 individuals selflessly gave their lives was a life changing experience for me. It sparked a fire in me and resonated how important it is that the next generation of students learn what happened on that fateful 9/11 day. Ordinary people made extraordinary choices that day. Being entrusted with the knowledge shared by the park rangers and family members of what happened on Flight 93, has ignited in me a newfound sense of duty and responsibility.”
Integrity and personal and civic responsibility have long been central to Sines’ lessons, and she said the “Teaching with Courage” symposium gave her even more tools to highlight those character traits and impart those values to her students.
“I learned how we can take a tragic event and find the humanity and hope in the day. I want to stress the unified courage of the passengers to do what they felt was right in the face of fear. I plan to personalize the stories of the crew and ensure that the legacy of the fateful forty lives on through my teaching. I want my students to see who these individuals were before the events of 9/11,” Sines said. “Courage was lived, shared and chosen by the Flight 93 members. I think it is very important to sow the seed of character development in my students by showcasing how the internal courage and bravery of the passengers prevented a greater tragedy from occurring. It is all about the collective and I feel responsible for continuing to share the voices and legacies of the passengers of Flight 93.”
In the days leading up to the 25th anniversary of Flight 93, Sines presented her middle students with age-appropriate lessons explaining the events of 9/11. In her sixth grade classes, Sines will focus on the timeline and events of Flight 93 and how this event connected to the tragedies in New York City and Washington D.C. Her seventh grade classes will have the opportunity to participate in “The Passport Project” in person.
“I believe that there are so many lessons students can learn beyond the scope of the historical events of 9/11. Providing students information not only builds their historical knowledge but also teaches many character development skills that we embody as a school district. Valor, bravery, compassion and courage are all character traits exhibited by the passengers and showcased to the students.”