CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. β On the 24th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, a Chesterfield County elementary school teacher is using a special book and flag to help young students understand the importance of remembrance.
Tara Krohn, a 27-year teaching veteran at Woolridge Elementary, authored a book about the Freedom Flag to make the history of 9/11 personal and accessible for her students.
"It's quite honestly one of my greatest joys, to read to students," Krohn said.
The challenge every year is how to make history relevant for those who weren't around to experience it. For Krohn, the answer lies in making it personal.
"I find it to be a personal responsibility to continue to educate the future generations," Krohn said.
"I think the best way to do that is to make it personal," she said.
Krohn's book tells the perspective story of the Freedom Flag from its creation to its current mission.
"It is a perspective story of the unfurling of the Freedom Flag from its birth until its current mission and that is to become the national symbol of remembrance for 9/11," Krohn said.
While the reality of that day may be too heavy for young minds, Krohn uses the book and flag to help students begin asking questions and claiming ownership of the history.
"You want it to be close to the flesh. You want to be with other people," Krohn said.
"Seeing that and the light in the eyes of my students this morning even was just so inspiring," she said.
The lesson extends beyond just remembering Sept. 11, 2001, to include the unity that followed on Sept. 12.
"It gives hope and it gives confidence that we are going to have students who are going to invest in what was September 12th where the country did come together, people rose, everybody was asking how can I help," Krohn said.
The impact reaches beyond the classroom walls. Student Lucy Augustine shared what she learned with her father, Drew Augustine.
"It represents all the people who got hurt," Lucy Augustine said.
"They're learning about this in a very age appropriate way and that's awesome," Drew Augustine said.
"I feel like a teacher and I like that," Lucy Augustine said.
Krohn sees the power in making the symbol tangible for students.
"It's incredible β the power of a symbol. The fact that that symbol has now become tangible for student like Lucy and others and that is absolutely the mission of the freedom flag foundation," Krohn said.
The Freedom Flag is already the official flag of remembrance for Virginia, Oklahoma and Delaware, and is taught in classrooms across the country. The hope is that it will one day become the national symbol of remembrance for 9/11.
During a flag-raising ceremony at the school, Krohn emphasized the lasting impact of the lesson.
"We teach, we tell, we touch the steel and we make it long lasting from them," Krohn said.
Krohn hopes the lesson doesn't stay confined to her classroom.
"I have a feeling that many of them are going to want to carry on," she said.
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