Topic 1. Introduction 
Hi, my name is anna clement. I am a bilingual US history teacher at plainfield high school. So before I became a teacher, I was a commodities trader for about 22 years. And 12 of those years I worked at the world trade center. Specifically for world trade center where there is the new york commodities exchange was located.

Topic 2. Working at the World Trace Center 
So the trade center was my, not only my place where I worked, it was a place that I got together with friends. it was the place that we went out to dinner, that I shopped and you know. It was is my life for 12 years. The neighborhood, just everything about it. And when I was in the city the towers were my focal point for orientating myself so they became buildings that you know you grow to love architecturally. I also enjoyed the buildings. 

Topic 3. Bombing in the second tower in 1993 
So I, I was working there in february 1993 and there was a bombing in the tower, the second tower. And that bombing occurred in the parking deck below the towers. I was trading. I was on the phone with a customer and I felt the building shake and there was a you know a rumble and I thought it was an explosion. That was my initial thought and yeah. I told my customer who was in chicago, uh we were discussing a trade that I was uh doing for her and uh I said wow you know that sounded like an explosion. I wonder what is going on. And you know of course phones start ringing. people start talking. We were told it was a transformer that blew up um because there was there was a subway and the path trains that were under the building. And it ended up being a bomb but we did not know that until we were evacuated about 45 minutes after the bomb went off. So you know, we were out in the street sook covered faces. we had to go down the stairs and it was very dark. so it was a little you know. After that incident, it was very upsetting to me. First of all we did not know it was a bomb and I felt like we should have been evacuated immediately. And I had wanted to go to lunch at the world financial center which was right next door. And there was a little walkway connecting the two areas but the phone call kept me in my office instead of bringing me down closer to where the explosion actually occurred. So that shook me, that that event.

Topic 4. Not wanting to work anymore in the WTC building 
We were out of the building for a week then they brought us back in and I still have a coffee mug they gave us that says welcome back to the world trade center. um but I was already thinking, you know. I am not sure that I want to live or want to work in this building. just did not feel safe especially after. Maybe after the mastermind of this attack in february was caught and he was being taken to jail by fbi agents flying over the buildings. I read in a new york times article that they said to him there are the buildings they are still standing you were not able to take them down. And he muttered under his breath not yet. Well after reading that, you know, I, I being a single mom having two young sons. I said I really need to find a job outside of these buildings and I did. I ended up working in new jersey. still trading commodities, still had colleagues that I spoke to every day to do trades.

Topic 5. Watching the tv on September 11 and trying to contact colleagues 
So on September 11th, I was sitting in my office in my trading room in new jersey. we had the tv on. Always had it on for news. I was trading on the phone and all of a sudden there's a news bulletin that the world trade center was hit by a plane. At the time, they told us it was a small plane. It looked, you know, we had it on tv. the tower was on fire. there was smoke coming out of it. I initially looked at the tower at the position that the plane went in and I knew that my colleagues that I traded with every day were probably very near where the plane crashed. Tried calling them and the phone lines were no longer working. so you know, that worry where were they, how were they impacted, what was going on. we could not reach them. and then, a few 17 minutes afterwards, you know the second plane hit the second tower. uh and and then of course everybody realized we were under attack and it was intentional. uU obviously, my thoughts were for my colleagues but it was crazy. In the trading area, people pretty much on the phone trying to reach people in the buildings. And you know trading is still going on. uh and they slowly started to evacuate people in the towers. 

Topic 6. Never forgetting the impact and shock of the towers collapsing 
Uh, the moment it really hit me uh hard was when the first house, the tower one came down. it was after the second tower. the second tower that was hit was the first tower that collapsed. uh and uh but most of my colleagues were in the first tower. and when that collapsed right then, you know, I said to myself they are dead. I was hoping beyond hope that the crash itself had not killed them. But then once that tower came down. my thoughts were they are dead and I hope they did die instantly. but that uncertainty and that shock at seeing no trait center. A skyline that I had seen every day of my life. that we were all familiar with. those of us that grew up at that time and saw those towers go up and you know saw them every day. Now there was nothing there. Just smoke and fire and craziness and. My boss said you know we gotta answer these phones, we gotta trade and. It being that his focus and uh I said to him do you know how many people just died. there's thousands of people dead and uh. I was just a wreck for the rest of the day. And um, you know, it was a beautiful day that is what I remember. it was just the best day, clear blue sky and then it became dark. And I will just, I will never forget how I felt and the days after. Trying to cope with what had happened. The world changed.

Topic 7. Reaction of own children and having nightmares 
uh, I got home. My kids were home from school and they said mom. First thing they said to me was mom we're so glad you do not work there anymore. because they were scared in school even though they knew I was not there. they knew that is the place that mom worked before. So they were just relieved and we just hugged and you know the tears just came. so uh, every year you know especially if it is a nice day on september 11th and it is the same clear blue sky. It, it, it kind of takes me back. um. I spent a long time, having nightmares, having nightmares about falling from the building. having, hearing my friends voices. because, you know, you have colleagues that you talk to every day and you find out, you know, how's your grandmother. You know, how's your dog. you know, you know each other. I, I was hearing one of my colleagues used to say every time I, you know, called and she picked up the phone and it was me: hey anna banana. and I, I would just hear her voice in my head and anna banana. Or the way they would say hello or, you know. I still hear it.

Topic 8. Remembering and teaching September 11 each year to kids 
I, you know it never goes away. So every year, you know, the day does mean a lot to me and I've eventually made it to the museum and, and got to see where they are. Because for me that is a sacred place. it is an event we should never forget. And the kids that we teach now, they weren't even born then. so you try to explain this to them it is a tough thing. you ask them: what does September 11th mean to you. The first thing they say is twin towers. But what does that mean, you know, what happened. And by the way, there were two other attacks. We cannot forget those victims. and so you try to explain what that whole day was like. um. and that is, I think, that is our task as teachers. you know we try to have kids understand what that they meant. What that they meant to us as a nation. Um, and how it is affected the last 20 years foreign policy, domestic policy. Just how we treat each other as americans. 

Topic 9. History unite each other 
So just yesterday, I saw a license plate, new jersey license plates, that says united we stand with an american flag on it. And I remember those plates were issued after september 11th. And what made me think today, I wish that was still true. How we felt after that day and how divided we are today. and maybe teaching about this event will help us realize, we are all in this together and we should be united. and history should bring us together. And make us understand whatever divisions there are, we're still all part of the story right. the story of life, the story of history. So, um I find it important to teach about this day and share my experience with the kids because it brings it to life for them. And that is my September 11th story.