Teaching Cicero during a Flood, or On the Duties of a Teacher in a Time of Crisis
My third day ever of teaching was on September 11, 2001. I was teaching Latin to fifth through eighth grade students at Plato Academy in Niles, Illinois just outside Chicago. I only taught twice a week; my first day had been the previous Tuesday, the day after Labor Day. Given my lack of teaching experience, it was going to be a tough day no matter what else happened. But as we know, all hell broke loose that day. None of…