‘They weren’t even born’: The new challenge of teaching 9/11

We’re entering a time where 9/11 is becoming like Pearl Harbor,” said Eric Erickson, a veteran social studies teacher in St. Paul.

A million or more Minnesotans have no memories of the largest terror attack on American soil and how that changed the country they’ve grown up in. Figuring out how to explain 9/11 in a way kids can understand and relate to is the new challenge for teachers across the state.

“Where or when have you learned about 9/11?” Erickson asked his students Friday morning.

“I distinctly remember 9/11/2001 here at Como Park High School, and like all of us who were alive and paying attention on that day, we have that flashbulb memory,” Erickson said. “And mine is a student…who came into my class and told me about it.”

Twenty-five years later he’s telling his students about that day, starting with finding out what they already kn...