SARASOTA, Fla. - On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, President George W. Bush arrived at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota expecting to champion a victory for public education.
Sandra Kay Daniels’ second grade reading group had just achieved the highest reading growth in Sarasota County, earning a personal visit from the Commander-in-Chief.
Courtesy: George W. Bush Presidential Library/National Archives
The first lesson on 9/11
The backstory:
The atmosphere shifted when White House Chief of Staff Andy Card leaned down to whisper in the President's ear that America was under attack.
Watching the sudden change in adult body language, the seven-year-old students sat bewildered, silently wondering if they had done something wrong.
After stepping into the hallway to view live broadcasts of the burning towers, Daniels composed herself, returned to her classroom, and delivered America's first impromptu lesson on terrorism.
A look back at history
Timeline:
- 9:00 AM – The Reading Demonstration: President Bush joins Kay Daniels and her second grade reading group to showcase their district-leading reading gains.
- 9:05 AM – The Interruption: Chief of Staff Andy Card whispers to President Bush that a second plane hit the World Trade Center and America is under attack.
- 9:15 AM – The First Lesson: Daniels steps outside, sees news footage on television, composes herself, and returns to explain "terrorists" and "war" to her weeping students.
- Sept. 12, 2001 – A New Slogan: One day later, a New York ad agency coins "See something, say something," establishing a permanent fixture of post-9/11 public security.
- 2011 – Reaching Adulthood: Ten years after reading to President Bush as children, members of the class reach legal military enlistment age as the nation continues its post-9/11 foreign engagements.
- 2026 – A Quarter-Century Legacy: Now adults in their thirties pursuing careers in teaching, engineering, and law enforcement, the former students reflect on their shared history as Daniels gives her final news media interview.
Students' lives transformed
Big picture view:
The children inside Emma E. Booker Elementary grew up alongside the fundamental transformation of American civic life.
Coming of age in an era defined by color-coded threat levels, airport security checkpoints, and expanded government surveillance, they watched the initial wave of national unity after Sept. 11 slowly dissolve into political polarization and declining public trust in institutions.
Courtesy: George W. Bush Presidential Library/National Archives
Yet, despite witnessing institutional breakdown and societal division, the class retained an unexpected depth of character.
Connected by Daniels for over 25 years, the former second-graders built careers as teachers, engineers, and law enforcement officers.
Their shared childhood trauma fostered distinct adult traits: adaptability, quiet resilience, and a commitment to helping others.
Explaining history to children
What they're saying:
"I had to explain to them what a terrorist is, what a terrorist does, and what a terrorist did in the United States of America. And that is why President Bush had to leave," Sandra Kay Daniels, a former Booker Elementary teacher, explained. "You could see a shift change in everybody's body language, even the President's body language... In our little minds, we're wondering, did I do something wrong? Did I say something?"
Former Booker Elementary student Krystal Davis said, "More fearful—trying to adapt to something so different after what just happened. I look at the world differently now."
By the numbers:
- #1 Rank: Educational achievement rank in Sarasota County for reading that brought President Bush to Emma E. Booker Elementary.
- 24 Hours: Time elapsed before advertising executives created "See something, say something," a slogan that redefined school safety culture.
- 10 Years: Time passed after the 9/11 visit before the second-graders reached legal military enlistment age.
- Two Decades: Span of foreign military conflict, elevated security threat levels, and domestic surveillance through which these students came of age.
- 25 Years: A quarter-century milestone was marked before teacher Kay Daniels granted her final public interview to focus on writing her book.
What's next:
Sandra Kay Daniels is stepping away from public interviews, designating this 25-year retrospective with reporter Craig Patrick as her final broadcast appearance.
Daniels is writing a book focused on guiding future generations toward empathy, non-judgmental thinking, and patience in times of crisis.
Viewers can watch Craig Patrick’s complete, unedited broadcast interview with Sandra Kay Daniels and her former students on the FOX Local App.
The Source: This report is based on original on-camera interviews and historical broadcast footage from Sept. 11, 2001.