PHOENIX — First graders at Tres Rios Service Academy in the Littleton Elementary School District have been learning about police, firefighters, and paramedics in recent weeks.
Their teacher, Giovanna Guzman, said she uses this as a way to teach kids about 9/11 since none of the students were born in 2001.
"I really push the patriot part of it," said Guzman.
"As you can see, we do flags. I've been doing this for 10 years now," she added.
Guzman has the students make paper flags with symbols related to 9/11 including the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and a badge.
The class also reads books related to New York.
On Thursday, Guzman read The Man Who Walked Between the Two Towers.
Guzman recalled living in El Paso when 9/11 happened.
"In El Paso, we had Ft. Bliss nearby and we have an airport that's pretty large," she said.
"I lived near both of them so to remember no planes, no military planes, it was overwhelming," Guzman added.
School officials want students to talk to their parents about 9/11 but said they don't want the children to forget about the sacrifices.
"We have responsibility to teach them about the events of that day so we can ensure the legacy of the lives lost and the value of the lessons we learned carry on," said Steven Rickert, the school's principal.
Guzman said she hopes her students learn about the people that served our country and are proud of them.
"I'm hoping that the things I do in my classroom that I inspire that patriotism, that respect, that empathy for the situation that happened."
