The purpose of this critical incident and development paper is to discuss the consequence of the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001 on my family and personal development. I will begin with a personal anecdote on the events of the day and describe how it changed my perception of the world. I will then share the applicable research I collected and how I believe it relates to my experiences. On the morning of September 11th, 2001 I woke up an unassuming nine-year-old. I had rarely left the West Chester area and knew little about the outside world. I went to school that day, the same as any other day, excited because it was a gym day and and we would get to go outside. After a few minutes outside, there was a peculiar turn of events,
…show more content…
Though I did not know anybody personally who had been in the towers or had passed away from the attacks, it was difficult for me to cope with what I saw on television. The news stations replayed the video of the towers falling repeatedly and showcasing images of people jumping out of the tower windows. These videos and images were graphic and disturbing, but were shown continually. This exposure to violence led to many different emotions, including frustration, anger, and sorrow. I wanted to help so many people, but did not have the means to do so appropriately. Some of my classmates reacted negatively to the situation by acting out, expressing hatred towards non-Americans and causing disruptions in school . The constant exposure to violence created internal stressors that could be associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The text describes the causes of PTSD as “from direct experience of a grave threat to personal safety or injury of a family member or someone close” (Newman, B.M. & Newman,P.R., 2015, p. 322). The symptoms of PTSD can affect people long after the event has taken place. For example “one study focused on 69 children who had lived within 100 miles of Oklahoma City in 1995 when the federal city was bombed.” (Newman, B.M. & Newman,P.R., 2015, p. 322). Though the children did not see the explosion, some children displayed …show more content…
It completely changed the way I, as an American, view the world and also distorted my perception of different types of people. The attacks also were the first time I came face-to-face with violence and terrorism on a large scale. I had never experienced anything like it before and it caused immense emotional stress. As I grew up I decided that I wanted to help people fight discrimination and create an environment that promoted diversity. Diversity should be seen as an asset, not a deficit. It should be celebrated for its positive qualities and with the correct environment multiple perspectives can be acknowledged. The attacks of September 11th forever altered my perception of the world, causing me to empathize with discriminated persons and created the type of teacher I am
Though I did not know anybody personally who had been in the towers or had passed away from the attacks, it was difficult for me to cope with what I saw on television. The news stations replayed the video of the towers falling repeatedly and showcasing images of people jumping out of the tower windows. These videos and images were graphic and disturbing, but were shown continually. This exposure to violence led to many different emotions, including frustration, anger, and sorrow. I wanted to help so many people, but did not have the means to do so appropriately. Some of my classmates reacted negatively to the situation by acting out, expressing hatred towards non-Americans and causing disruptions in school . The constant exposure to violence created internal stressors that could be associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The text describes the causes of PTSD as “from direct experience of a grave threat to personal safety or injury of a family member or someone close” (Newman, B.M. & Newman,P.R., 2015, p. 322). The symptoms of PTSD can affect people long after the event has taken place. For example “one study focused on 69 children who had lived within 100 miles of Oklahoma City in 1995 when the federal city was bombed.” (Newman, B.M. & Newman,P.R., 2015, p. 322). Though the children did not see the explosion, some children displayed …show more content…
It completely changed the way I, as an American, view the world and also distorted my perception of different types of people. The attacks also were the first time I came face-to-face with violence and terrorism on a large scale. I had never experienced anything like it before and it caused immense emotional stress. As I grew up I decided that I wanted to help people fight discrimination and create an environment that promoted diversity. Diversity should be seen as an asset, not a deficit. It should be celebrated for its positive qualities and with the correct environment multiple perspectives can be acknowledged. The attacks of September 11th forever altered my perception of the world, causing me to empathize with discriminated persons and created the type of teacher I am