Where did you go to school? From what I've heard from friends at my east coast university, everyone was on high alert because a lot of people commute to NYC for work, and also because nobody knew if there would be more attacks in the surrounding areas. The attacks also happened right as kids were settling in for their first few classes so everyone was at school or work, separated form their families. On the west coast the attacks happened when most people were just getting up or were even still asleep and by the time kids arrived at school everyone knew what was going on and teachers had plans about how to handle the situation. Also being so dang far away the danger seemed more removed. I was in Arizona at the time, so right in the middle, and my teachers mentioned it before every class but then went on with the day as usual. I remember there were at least 10 kids called to the office throughout the day though, to learn about family members that were missing.