On September 5, Billie Jean Fulton (Louisville High School 11th grade U.S. History teacher) will step into the national spotlight as part of the discussion on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11.
Fulton along with three of her students talked with the Today Show’s Education reporter Rehema Ellis for an upcoming special coverage about the 20th Anniversary of 9/11.
Ellis, her producer Alicia Hastey and other team members setup in Louisville High School Classroom to discuss how 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan were taught to students who were not alive to witness the events of that day.
“We are interviewing about how 9/11 is taught in schools now since it is history to these students and not an event they lived through,” said Hastey.
Fulton noted that the Today Show choosing Louisville High School was like picking a needle in a haystack. Hastey, the segment’s producer, had contacted the school in August and had spoken on the phone with Fulton about the segment and coverage.
“We contacted many schools who had started school in August and this (LHS) one was one of the few who got back with us,” said Hastey. “When I talked to Ms. Fulton on the phone, I knew she would be the perfect person for this.”
Fulton who has been teaching for 26 years with 10 of those at LHS said, "2020 was the toughest year ever to be a teacher and this year was tough so far but different." She noted she just focused on the students and that motivated her.
Fulton discussed at length during the interview the importance of teaching the events of 9/11 and how she tried to make it an emotional connection to the students to help them understand that day in history as well as its causes and connection to the war in Afghanistan. While none of her present students were born when 9/11 happened, the war in Afghanistan has been going on their entire lives with the abrupt end in recent days with a barrage of news coverage.
“I spend the first day going over images and video trying to make an emotional connection first,” said Fulton. “Then we look at the war in Afghanistan and the direct connection to their present day lives.”
Fulton discussed in detail the importance of the history and how she engaged her students in seeing it as a living, breathing part of each person’s life.
The segment featuring Fulton and the LHS students will air September 5 on the Today Show.
