January 28, 2011
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I touch the future
“I touch the future. I teach.“– Christa McAuliffe (1948-1986)
I received that quote on a little card along with a pin from my district’s HR office when I began my teaching career, and it still is tacked prominently on the bulletin board behind my desk.
McAuliffe, slated to become the first teacher in space, died 25 years ago today along with six other U.S. astronauts in the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, on the same day my friend Jen was born.
Life truly is a circle.
Comments (2)
The Challenger explosion is one of those “I remember where I was when…” moments in my life. I was working as a temp in plastics factory with several other temps. The only people allowed to wear radio headphones in the plant. I’m sure it was a sight when the announcement hit the radio because I know that everyone one of us stopped what we were doing simultaneously and started looking at each other wondering, I suppose, if everyone was hearing the same thing. Every temp went home for lunch so they could see the news.
Also… the Challenger explosion was one day away from happening 20 years to the day after the Apollo 1 fire killed Gus Grissom, Ed White & Roger Chaffee. Yesterday, I heard the cockpit transmissions from Apollo 1 to control. Very brief period of time from announcing the fire in the cockpit to screams of panic & agony. I think I’d have rather gone out the way Challenger did… BOOM.
Ok. Rambling on again.
I was in my 9th grade English class. We were going to watch Romeo and Juliet that day, so the teacher had the AV cart in the room. She decided to let us watch the shuttle launch before starting the movie. I remember we were all in shock. I can’t believe it’s been 25 years already.