Give an apple to the teacher
with a twinkle in her eye
and a one-way ticket to a dream
nine miles high.
Give an apple to the teacher
tell her not to be afraid
and an apple to her daughter
who wishes she had stayed
home — light in her eyes
like the dream she held so dear
which you turned into a nightmare
little children watched in fear.
Bite an apple for the teacher
like a crater on the moon
marked, in memory of Christa
fallen back to earth, too soon.
On this day in 1986…
The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded seconds after launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. All seven crew members were killed. The launch was rushed under unfavourable conditions, and the disaster was later shown to be caused by a preventable fault. I remember following the Teacher in Space project both at school and on the news, and the horrible aftermath of the ill-fated launch. Christa McAuliffe was selected to be the first Teacher in Space, so the accident no doubt remains ingrained on the memories of the many children who had been following her progress.
On that day, I worked as a student in a lab that built space experiments. We had one on the Challenger. We were all watching the launch live.
The other things I remember is that all to channels kept on repeating the video of the explosion. Each time I saw it , it hurt.
And that was also the night of my wedding rehearsal. The vicar led us in a short prayer for the astronauts.
Thank you for sharing your memories of that day, Kim. I was only four, but I still remember my horror at seeing the explosion on the news.
Ingrid, I love your use of apples as symbolic elements, representing both innocence and loss. It really adds a layer of depth to the narrative! <3
Much love,
David
Thank you, David!
An emotional poem/story, remembered by us all …
All those of us who were around at the time, certainly!
Love your tribute and the symbolism of apple, Ingrid!
Thank you, Punam 😊
My pleasure. 😊❤️
I remember I was at a foundation where I had an internship during grad school. I walked into a conference room and one of the secretaries was crying–she had the TV on, and she was trying to tell me what happened. I remember seeing the explosion, too.
My husband is a teacher, and we have lots of teacher friends, so that hit, too.
Yes, I think it shocked many people. I know being an astronaut is risky, but it seems some unnecessary risks were taken…
I think so.
I remember the Challenger explosion very well. Christa McCauliffe was from New Hampshire, which is where I live now.
Thanks for reading and sharing your memories, Liz!
You’re welcome, Ingrid!
Very nice
Thank you 🙏
I remember this Ingrid. What a wonderful poem in honor of the innocence and her, It was a shock and I’m so happy my daughter gave up on this career idea❣️
Thank you, Cindy 🙏
You’re so welcome, Ingrid!💕
I remember the day quite well. Heartbreaking. High school students crying in the hallways, shocked over what we had just witnessed on our classroom tvs. Thank you for this meaningful tribute. 🙏🏻
I can imagine 🙏
It’s one of those seminal events in our lifetimes. Thanks for remembering. (K)
Thank you Kerfe.