FLOUR BLUFF ISD TEACHERS SPEAK REGARDING REMEMBERING SEPTEMBER 11TH
As a 5th grade Social Studies team, it is our responsibility to write lesson plans for our department. Our
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) require us to teach the history of the United States. We
create lesson plans to provide our students with interactive and informational lessons to achieve this
goal. Therefore, we would like to make a statement about recent events.
During the first week of March 2013, a concern was raised regarding the video Remembering September
11th, which was presented in class on September 11, 2012. The video deals with the aftermath of
September 11, 2001, and is part of Safari Montage, which is a video company to which our district
subscribes that allows teachers the opportunity to enrich the curriculum with web-based videos, images,
audio tracks, and documents that are grade appropriate. The individual voiced a serious concern as to
whether or not the video presented our country in a favorable manner. The objection to the video
originally came about because of a question contained in a quiz for the video. The principal and teacher
met with the concerned party and viewed a portion of the video together. The principal contacted Safari
Montage and notified them of the concern. Flour Bluff ISD administrators met with the individual as well
to address the concerns. Safari Montage representatives have since issued Flour Bluff ISD a sincere
apology for the wording of the question and any misunderstanding or distress it caused.
We feel the handling of concerns is of paramount importance, but equally or more important, is the
question of whether the video is unfavorable to the United States. Safari Montage representative, Lori
Griffin, vice president of curriculum and instruction also stated that neither the producers of the video,
Schlessenger Media, nor Safari Montage would endorse a position that blames the United States. She
also stated that the question would be revised and available to Flour Bluff ISD in a future Safari Montage
update.
Speaking frankly, we are patriotic, positive supporters, and extremely thankful citizens of the United
States. We believe in the goodness and greatness of our country and that the United States is the
greatest country in the history of the world. Some of us were raised in career military households where
we learned firsthand that the United States military is a magnificent institution and we whole heartedly
believe that the people who serve our country are true heroes. This respect also extends to our
country’s first responders: firefighters, EMS, police, as well as those willing to lend a hand to help
someone in need. We also believe that the United States does more to help the rest of the world than
all other countries combined. Having said that, we would never intentionally participate in any way, in
any action, program, or institution that misconstrues or seeks to denigrate, misrepresent or lie about
this wonderful country.
With that in mind, we must say in all honesty, the video in question has been subjected to our own
repeated intense review and scrutiny. We have analyzed it with the goal of finding something, anything,
which contradicts our beliefs and is somehow unfavorable to the United States. With the lone exception
of question #3 on the video quiz, which we regret not recognizing immediately, we found the video to
be proudly patriotic and praising of our people and country in how we dealt with the tragedy of
September 11, 2001 and its aftermath.
The intent of the lesson was to provide our students with an age appropriate overview of the horrific
events of September 11, 2001, to teach them to be patriotic, and to have honor and respect for those
affected by this tragedy. Again, our intent was never to subject students to the belief that the United
States was in any way whatsoever at fault, responsible, or to blame for the horrendous attack on
September 11, 2001 as has been interpreted by that question. Our students learned that the United
States was a victim of these attacks and that President George W. Bush responded swiftly by declaring
war on terrorism. We are truly sorry for any grief or anguish caused as a result of this video being shown
in our classes.
On September 11, 2012 we taught our students about Patriot Day. We started our day with a warm-up
in which students answered the question, “Why are you proud to be an American?” We viewed and
discussed a video titled, Remembering September 11th, about one of the greatest tragedies to occur on
United States soil. We talked about how the tragedy brought Americans closer together and how
people came together to help others in need. We discussed the segment in the video that talked about
Americans becoming more patriotic because of the tragedy and how important it is to be proud of our
country. The lesson ended with the students writing and illustrating why they are proud to be
Americans. Many students wrote thank you cards to firefighters, police officers, and to friends and
family members in the military thanking them for their service to our country. These cards were posted
on large yellow banners entitled “Proud to be an American” that were proudly displayed in the hallways
and classrooms. Parents viewed this beautiful artwork for Open House on September 20, 2012. We
believe in teaching our students to be patriotic on a daily basis and to be thankful for the liberty and
freedoms that we all share.
September 17-21, 2012, was Celebrate Freedom Week, a week dedicated to celebrating our freedom
documents. We discussed the Declaration of Independence and recited the Preamble to the Declaration
of Independence, “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the
Pursuit of Happiness – That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving
their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed…” Then we discussed the meaning of the quote.
Students created a triangular display to illustrate freedoms that we are blessed to have in the United
States. Students excitedly shared their ideas as they illustrated some of the freedoms they enjoy. We
discussed our Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and how the Founding Fathers were able to create a
legal document so strong that it has only been amended 27 times in our entire history as a nation.
Students learned the Preamble to the Constitution in song and sign language. We also discussed the
importance of the phrase, “We the People of the United States.” We taught them that they will be the
leaders of tomorrow.
During the week, we also discussed how our American symbols show the strength of our nation and how
they instill pride in us as Americans whenever we see these symbols. We conversed about the
importance of standing tall when we recite the Pledge of Allegiance each day and to take the words
seriously. By the end of the week, students’ work and discussions showed that they were proud to be in
America and were thankful for the freedoms we enjoy in our great nation.
On Monday, November 5th, 2012, students began bringing in pictures of family members and friends
who have served or are actively serving in the United States Armed Forces in preparation for a Veterans
Day lesson. On Wednesday, November 7th, 2012, we discussed the qualities of leaders during the
Revolutionary War and which qualities they had in common. On Thursday, November 8th, 2012, we
honored our veterans as an early introduction to Veterans Day. Students proudly shared the pictures,
which they had brought to class and used them to tell their classmates about their family members in
the United States military. We read the book, America’s White Table, by Margot Theis Raven. The
author explains that the table honors men and women in the United States Armed Forces, especially
those missing in action (MIAs) and those held prisoner of war (POWs). She further explains the
symbolism behind each item on the remembrance table that is set for one. Students wrote thank you
letters to veterans which were delivered to the local Veterans Administration. Students with military
family members were also eager to write additional thank you letters to them as well.
Beginning in late November, we began teaching a unit on the United States Government by introducing
the Constitutional Convention. The establishment of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights were the
focus for this time period. Students learned how the Constitution was created through much debate
and compromise. They also learned that in order to ratify the Constitution, a Bill of Rights had to be
added. We emphasized the way our government is organized as well as the members of each branch
and their corresponding duties and responsibilities. We also taught the students about the system of
checks and balances. During this time period, one focus of discussion was the concept of Rights and
Responsibilities of United States citizens.
In January 2013, the National Anthem was taught and discussed after teaching about the War of 1812.
Lessons about United States symbols including the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Liberty
Bell, Statue of Liberty, the American Flag, Mount Rushmore, and the White House were taught.
In February and early March 2013, we taught about the Civil War and Reconstruction as well as the
origin and tradition of Memorial Day and how to better understand and appreciate the depth of sacrifice
members of the Armed Forces and their families have made. Students wrote touching acrostic poems
that commemorate our soldiers who sacrificed their lives to keep us safe and protect our liberty.
On March 5, 2013, the concerned party expressed a concern about the question on the video quiz for
Remembering September 11th. The individual also expressed concern about an answer that was graded
incorrectly on a worksheet titled, “Rights and Responsibilities.” The teacher informed the individual that
the paper was graded incorrectly and that basic needs were responsibilities, not rights, as was indicated
by the grading of the worksheet and apologized for the mistake. The teacher found that the key
provided by CSCOPE was incorrect. The teacher then provided CSCOPE with this information through
the use of the “Feedback” button. On March 6, 2013, CSCOPE posted the revised T-Chart and
corresponding answer key in which they replaced the choice “Basic Needs” with “Speech and Petition.”
As a team, we have many years of experience as educators. We take our jobs and responsibilities
seriously. We strive to teach our students to the best of our abilities. We build relationships with
parents and work together as a team. We always welcome, value, and appreciate our parents’ and
community members’ input. We do our best on a daily basis to ensure that our students are given the
knowledge they need to be successful and productive members of the classroom. Our ultimate goal is
for our students to receive the best education possible in order to fulfill their personal goals and become
responsible contributing members of society.