Inthefray.com

Engine Co. Number 9 in Chinatown

New York state of mind
In the fray in New York--Part two

published October 9, 2001
written by Jia-Rui Chong / New York
photographed by Lia Chang / New York

The school psychologist

“The worst thing would be to frighten them before they could get to their parents,” said Phyllis Allen, a school psychologist for District 2. “What they want to know is ‘Where is my mom? Where is my dad?’”

But Principal Zackman and the teachers handled the situation with comforting professionalism, said the psychologist who has a strangely beneficent and reassuring smile of her own. “We wanted them to know it was a safe haven center where they can always come. Sonia stayed here all night Tuesday until Wednesday morning. The kids trust the teachers. They’re willing to share and talk, but they want to be back in their routine. They’re not that different from adults.” Today was calm because it was calm on Tuesday, she said.

In class, kids discussed the event for the first time with their teachers. The responses depended on age. “In first grade, we do a unit on the post office,” said Allen. “So all the first and second graders wanted to know who they could write to. We decided on the mayor, the president, firemen and police. We encouraged them to do it. The older kids wanted to know what was going to happen, who did it. They understood what justice was and they talked about arrests and jail. But we all need to remember that it was a few people. Everything is going to return to normal -- or a new normal.”

The kids wanted to help, said Allen. “Being able to do something gives you back your sense of self-esteem, even if it’s just smiling at the cop on every street corner.”

Even though the day before political candidates running for election talked about the divisiveness of New York, Allen says this image disappeared when the city was put to the test. Despite the school’s diversity—it is an international school—minorities were not singled out. “A culture of respect already exists here,” she says. “Besides, they’re able to handle a lot. I mean, they’re New Yorkers.”

The school psychologist

The doctor

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