Gen Zs recall first learning of 'deeply harrowing, terrifying' 9/11

As a child, Black didn't quite grasp the day's gravity, but for her, certain details still stand out. She remembers, most distinctly, the "falling man" – a famous image of a man plummeting, upside down, from the North Tower. A Dallas, Texas native, she also recalls teachers showing the video of then-President George W. Bush first learning about the attacks at an elementary school event.For Annie Erickson, 26, who grew up in North Carolina, personal anecdotes, more than school or reports, created her first memories of 9/11."My mother grew up in New York City, so I remember my mom telling me about 9/11 and talking about how someone that lived in her building, who she was friends with, passed away in the towers," Erickson said.She also was struck when learning about 9/11 at school that it was one of the few historical events teachers could personalise with their own memories. Currently, there's no national requirement for US schools to teach students about the attacks, and the expectations vary widely by state. Twenty-five states require or expect public schools to teach the events of 9/11, while 13 make 9/11 instruction optional, according to a recent analysis by The Associated Press. But not every state that requires it specifies a curriculum.Allegra Tashjian, 28, who grew up in Wisconsin, said her teacher explained in first or second grade that it was a very important, sombre day and asked if anyone knew why. After a student responded that it was the day planes hit the towers in New York, Tashjian wondered why she had never heard of it before.