September 11, 2001 8:00 a.m. It was my first year as a teacher. I was hired through a special literacy initiative in the Philadelphia School District. I reported to my location as instructed by my hiring documents. First to the main office, then to the off-site building where the kindergarten was housed. It was a Presbyterian church -- a sign that I belonged here, maybe. Before converting to Catholicism for a girl (not my mother) my father was Presbyterian as I suspect many Scottish people are. 8:15 I went to the basement and looked around. The classroom was huge and was a child’s wonderland. Cubbies were lined up in an L shape creating an alcove in the entranceway to the classroom as well as a defined space for the teacher’s planning area. This space contained an adult-sized table with six chairs, a teacher’s desk, some bookcases including a big book storage unit, and a variety of supplies. This is where we planned our week, day, hour. Kid sized tables were on one side of