This Sept. 11, we commemorated the 19th anniversary of the attacks in which almost 3,000 Americans lost their lives—or at least we should have.

Instead, most Americans, especially students, most likely spent 10 minutes mourning the losses of those who lost their lives, then carried on with the rest of the day. I was shocked and disappointed when I realized how little our school does to commemorate that infamous day. I was especially saddened to learn some of my classmates were not aware or had forgotten the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. 

Many schools across the country deal with this problem every year, as students are being educated less and less about the events that unfolded on that fateful morning. However, it isn’t necessarily their fault as many were born years after 9/11. Regardless, it is still our duty as Americans to never forget the thousands of people who died that day. 

For these reasons, many people want to make 9/11 a national holiday. Despite all this, it wouldn’t be a good idea for logistical reasons and won’t effectively help educate people about 9/11. 

According to The Week, each national holiday costs the United States government $450 million in lost productivity and employee pay because of the paid days off federal employees get. There are already 10 national holidays, including Labor Day, which is just days before from 9/11.

Another issue with having a national holiday on 9/11 is that we wouldn’t be able to educate the next generation. It would most likely bring another day of barbecues, family time and sporting events, just like every other national holiday. For example, most people don’t spend Memorial Day honoring the brave soldiers who lost their lives while serving in the military, instead spending it with family and friends enjoying one of the first warm weekends of the summer. 

If we want to ensure the next generations are educated on one of the most horrific days in our country’s history, we need to teach them in schools. This can be done simply by taking a day out of the regular curriculum to talk about the events that unfolded on that tragic day, as well as incorporating the attacks into history curriculums.

As Americans, we need to do a better job of honoring the lives of the first responders and citizens who died on 9/11. We cannot fix the problem by having another day off. We need to educate ourselves and the next generation, or we are bound to forget it.