Challenger Anniverary 29 years

This morning I am reminded that it has been 29 years since the Challenger lifted off into the cold blue skies over Florida. I will never forget that day if I live to be 150. We went outside with our classes to see the first teacher in space make history. Well, obviously since I am writing about it 29 years later, history was made that day, just not the way we were hoping. Since that day, I can never hear "America the Beautiful" without thinking of them. "Oh beautiful for heros proved in liberating strife, who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life." The tears still flow this morning, 29 years later. For those kids in my class that year, thanks for sharing that sacred experience with me. I will never forger you either.

Here is what I remember about that day: We had waited months for that shuttle to launch. There were many delays. Finally that morning it was announced over the intercom that the shuttle was up. I took my class of 12 Chapter one kids and went to the front of the school to watch. There were clear skies, very clear. We could see the shuttle in the distance as it went higher and higher. We had seen this sight many times before, but this one had special meaning for us. Christa McAuliffe was on board. When it got above the line of all the surrounding trees, we knew that the rocket boosters would seperate. When they did, the trail went in two directions. That was not typical. Usually they would drop and the shuttle would keep going up. That is not what we saw this time. The teachers all knew it. We didn't have TVs in our classroom to see what had happened there so we went back into the classroom and turned on the radio. The announcer said, "Oh my God, it blew up." That day my class cried together. We discussed making the most of everyday. We discussed heros and how we never know when life will be over. Teachers discussed whether or not space exploration was worth the money and risk. I remember walking to lunch later and that smoke trail still being in the sky. It broke my heart to look at it, and yet, I couldn't take my eyes off of it. I had a 3 month old baby at home. Because of her, I thought of the kids that lost a parent that day. It broke my heart then and it still does. I thought of applying to be the first teacher in space. The only reason I didn't apply is because the call came out when I was a first year teacher, and I knew they wouldn't accept a first year teacher for the program. This piece of history touched me and my life in a very real way. I will never forget.