How a Sapulpa teacher helped students process the 9/11 Attacks: From The News On 6 Vault

On September 11, 2001, classrooms across the country, including right here in Oklahoma, were witnesses to a moment unlike any other.

News On 6 covered several stories in the days after the attack on the World Trade Center, and one of those stories highlighted the challenge for teachers and students on that day.

See the story as it aired 24 years ago, as reported by News On 6 anchor Glenda Silvey and photojournalist Michael Woods.

Teacher's Challenge in the Classroom

At Sapulpa High School, American history teacher K. Shibley faced the challenge of helping students process the devastating terror attacks as they unfolded.

Shibley said that he had been discussing anti-American sentiment abroad just days earlier, never imagining they would soon witness such a violent example.

The seasoned teacher and Vietnam veteran encouraged students to share one word that captured their emotions.

“It’s ranged all the way from anger to just devastation,” Shibley. “Some of the female members of the staff have just been totally shattered.”

Student Reactions to Tragedy

Many of the students expressed disbelief as they watched the televised images of planes striking the Twin Towers.

“I couldn’t believe something like this could happen,” student Tucker Collins said. “When they first showed it on TV… it was unreal looking.”

Classmate Mary Beth Allen said she was in “absolute shock,” adding, “I just can’t understand why. There’s no logical explanation for blowing up a building.”

Others, like Bridgett Robinson, thought of families who would never see their loved ones again: “If it were my parents working in a building like that. I just don’t understand how anybody could plan that out in their head.

The teacher featured in this story, K. Shibley, passed away in 2015, but his efforts to steady his students during one of America’s darkest hours are well remembered.