‘Life is precious’: Teacher uses personal experience to educate students about Sept. 11th

PLANT CITY, Fla. - Lauren Leto, who was in the 7th grade when America was attacked on September 11, 2001, uses a letter she wrote to herself about that day to teach her students at Strawberry Crest High School. 

"The first things I thought was ‘Why’ and ‘Is this going to happen again,’" she recalled.  

It’s been 20 years since that horrific day and the students in Leto’s class had yet to be born. 

"To me, it is a piece of history because I don’t know anyone affected by it," said Hunter Clites, a Strawberry Crest High School student. 

Another student shared, "This is just like a huge tragedy and something I can never understand fully."

RELATED: Too young to remember Sept. 11th themselves, students reflect on lives lost

While the full gravity of that day may be impossible to explain, Leto uses empathy and patriotism to help students connect the past with the present. 

"Life is and can be changed in a moment. Be grateful you are an American. Life is precious," she read to her students.  

RELATED: 9/11 as American History: Schoolteachers prepare lessons

"Reflecting on the human component and trying to show those who helped and did good and those who were stepping up and sacrificing themselves for humanity is what I try to focus on with them," Leto explained. 

From experiencing that day to teaching it, every word is a lesson.

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