A Hard-hitter

Early in the year, I offered the students the chance to write me a letter whenever they wanted, and I would reply to them. I got quite a few those first few months, but it's been a while since I got my last letter, so I was surprised when to get one today. The letters have usually been along the lines of "what singers do you like?" or "how many brothers/sisters do you have?" or questions about studying English. So I was understandably surprised when I read this:

Dear Rebeca,
I have questions. I heard Osama bin Laden killed by American on TV. I can't understand why American did it. I think we can't lost demonstration and war even if they killed him. However, many Americans were pleased. Why?? How do you think about him?
I'm interested in international problem now. I'm thinking why are there war and demonstration in the world and what can I do to lost them.

From ~.

Wow. So I found myself writing a letter today explaining the events of 9/11 and our subsequent obsession with Osama bin Laden in as succinct a way as possible. My student is smart, so I didn't limit my English too much in order to give her a challenge. I'm going to include my response here, in part because it's the most critically I've thought about these events so far, and also because maybe some of you have some thoughts on how you would interpret/explain Americans' reactions to bin Laden's death if you were asked.

Dear ~, 

Those are some very interesting and difficult questions. I will do my best to answer them.

Osama bin Laden was America's #1 enemy. He was the leader of a terrorist group called "al Qaeda". On September 11, 2001, al Qaeda attacked the United States. They used two airplanes to destroy the World Trade Center Towers. These were two of the tallest buildings in New York City.

More than 2,500 people were killed that day. I remember where I was when it happened. I was 13 years old, in junior high school. I was in the library waiting to give a presentation. At 9:00 AM, the teacher stopped the class and turned on the TV. We all watched the two towers fall. It was a terrible event, similar to the March 11th earthquake and tsunami in Japan. But this wasn't nature. This was man-made.

After the attack, al Qaeda made a video. In it, Osama bin Laden said he was glad. He said he planned the attack. he said that he hated America. So America has been looking for Osama bin Laden for almost 10 years. When we killed him, Americans were pleased because we were angry with him. 

But you have a good point. It's not right to enjoy killing another person. I think Americans are worried and scared. Osama bin Laden's death is a symbol of hope. It makes us feel strong and in control. But really, we have a lot of problems. It's easier to focus on one evil man than it is to think about all our problems. 

I hope I answered some of your questions. I'm so glad you're asking these questions. It is important to learn about the world. I was your age when I became interested in international problems. 

If you have more questions, you can ask me anytime. You are an amazing student and I hope you will continue to challenge yourself. 

Your friend,

Rebeca

It hardly seems enough. I know I left out a lot of things, and I've probably misspelled something and my memory may be inaccurate on some points. Maybe the letter is too long, or the English too complicated and she will get discouraged. I sincerely hope this isn't the case, though, because this is a critical moment, where a student reaches out to a teacher to explain the world, and I want to provide an answer that is both adequate and accessible. An answer that is simple enough for her to understand, but complicated enough to make her want to ask more questions.

It's tough work, this teaching thing. One minute, it's all fun and games, the next it's asking me to evaluate and explain my world views. One minute I feel unnecessary, and the next, people want me to be in 3 places at once. One minute I'm playing tag and the next I'm on the phone giving someone my t-shirt size. I just re-read my Statement of Purpose that I wrote for my JET application. Not my best work, but still surprisingly relevant. Maybe sometime I'll put that up here. Until then, consider the letters above. I'd love to hear your thoughts, and maybe even your version of the letter. Think about it.