The challenge of teaching 9/11 to kids | The Excerpt

On the Thursday, September 10, 2026, episode of The Excerpt podcast: How do you teach one of the most defining moments in modern American history to students who weren't alive to experience it? Dexter Southfield Head of School Peter Folan joins The Excerpt to discuss the challenge of teaching 9/11 to a generation with no memory of the attacks. Through the story of Welles Crowther, the "Man in the Red Bandana," and other lessons in courage and community, Folan explains how educators are ensuring the lessons of 9/11 are passed to future generations.

Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

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If you were born after 9/11, everything you know about that day comes from someone else. So how do teachers help students understand not just what happened, but also why it still matters? 25 years after the attacks, an entire generation is encountering September 11th as history rather than memory. Educators are…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/