October 12, 2001

Teaching as Healing, at Ground Zero

By KARLA JAY

Getting dressed for the second class of the semester, I, like millions of other Americans, was riveted by the breaking story that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. Then another one. In addition to disbelief, shock, anger, and sadness, I had another thought: "Oh no, not us, not again!" Pace University's downtown campus, where I have taught English and women's studies for 27 years, is just two blocks from where the towers stood.

Where were my students, colleagues, and the many Pace