The troubles of teaching about 9/11, the sixth anniversary of which is marked today, are its lessons are still being taught, and the topics the horrific incident raises remain difficult to address, as they cut into sensitive issues of religion, society, civics and public policy.

As an educational opportunity, however, there’s little soil more fertile. Examinations of 9/11 are entrance points for contextual understandings about the breadth of American and world history; it’s a real-life example, known to most students, that can illuminate lessons long subject to recitation from timeworn textbooks.

Increasing evidence indicates schools are capitalizing on the potential of 9/11-related curricula, and engaging students in thought-provoking discussions about the ideals of being an American, differences in religious backgrounds and philosophies, international relations and military histories.

Unfortunately, 9/11 is a moving target, often dissected by conspiracy theorists determined to unveil the alleged shadowy legions and “real” story behind what occurred. New research into human psyches about such myths discovered the more they’re repeated or debunked, the more believed they become.

It’s why many Americans today still think Saddam Hussein was a mastermind of 9/11, or why misinformation within the Arab world persists that the Twin Towers collapsed from an organized demolition, according to a studies recently cited by The Washington Post.

The historical record of 9/11, however, still lives in the hearts and minds of everyone who experienced the events of that day. Imagery of the screaming people and falling towers remains etched into our culture, and the immediacy of the information age means millions of Americans can say, rightly, “We were there.”

This also allows the facts and impact of 9/11 to be corrupted by conspiratorial types, or twisted by partisanship or special interests perhaps wishing to use past tragedy for future gains. (An accusation, for example, now being lobbed at Republican presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.)

Much, also, has been made about whether Americans are forgetting 9/11, but though our shock may have waned, our memories are sharp. We won’t let ourselves forget, in the same way Dec. 7, 1941, or Nov. 22, 1963, are forever attached to nationwide expressions of shock, fear and outrage.

Those dates are fundamental for learning and understanding U.S. history, a status that should also be conferred on 9/11, with haste. The swirling distortions about the attacks, if allowed to spiral, could mutilate collective recollections of the dark date in history, losing important truths in the process.

Incorporation into educational curricula could ensure the real stories of 9/11 are conveyed to future generations, because those who experienced that horrible day don’t need others to tell them its true lessons.

Our students, though, certainly do.