My Turn
Honoring Space Heroes

A teacher and her students give a nod to those who look for answers beyond the stars.

By veronique paquette

Dear families of the astronauts,

When my mom woke me up and told me about the terrible news about the rocket ship that exploded, I felt sad and sorry. I just wanted to cry! Your family member was very brave to go to outer space like that! Thanks to them we will always be learning new fun things about outer space!

Your friend,
Rachel Mahre

These words were written by one of my second-grade students on the Monday after the Columbia shuttle explosion rocked the space exploration world. Not only did this tragedy shake NASA to its core, it opened a hole in my own heart--and the hearts of my students. NASA was particularly dear to me, and in many ways, I felt a part of its family and so shared my enthusiasm with those around me.

During the summer of 2000 I spent two weeks at a NASA "Space Camp," working with teachers from around the country to learn about the power of the space program. As a guest of the Ames Research Center in California, I spent my days with scientists, researchers, and astronauts who schooled me on the latest in research and science that NASA had to offer.

For me this was a dream come true. I'd always had a love of space and the stars. As a little girl, I remember looking for constellations with my dad and brother on summer nights, watching satellites fly overhead and having contests to see who could spot the most flying objects in the sky. As a student, science never came easily for me, but the love of wanting to understand the world I lived in kept driving me to learn more.

As a teacher I quickly discovered that all children have this same desire to understand their world. They may not grasp complex concepts, but they have that wonderful ability to ask "why?" So, too, do adults. Indeed, at NASA, I found that the scientists and researchers who work daily to explore uncharted territory are motivated by the very question that has fueled my own passion: "What more can there possibly be beyond my world?" The risk associated with space travel does not consume them; they simply go forward for the sake of science and education.

Sitting on the plane on the way home from that great experience, I kept thinking about the endless possibilities opened up by my training. NASA was instilled in my head and in my heart, and I wanted to share its good works with everyone I knew, especially my students. So back at school, I launched what we now call our "Space Shuttle Simulation Day." Every year students bound into the gym, don suits, and work and cooperate--even train--just as real astronauts do.

At one station, for instance, they are forced to shift their center of gravity by sitting on a small rolling cart, hands and feet off the ground, to perform tasks such as removing nuts and bolts from a wall. At another station, they pretend they're on the surface of the moon and use toy moon grabbers to gather lunar samples (lumps of dried clay imbedded with colored beads), then chart and graph their results. Later, at "mission control," they sit at laptop computers with NASA-supplied software that simulates a rocket liftoff and the surface of the moon.

I have loved sharing experiences like this with my students. When John Glenn made an encore in space as a senior citizen, we waited together all morning to witness the liftoff. After I met teacher astronaut Barbara Morgan in Houston at the International Space Station Educator's Conference, my students heard all about it and hung on to my every word. The same was true after I met former astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin; I was a celebrity in my own classroom!

It was understandable, then, that when Columbia came to its tragic end, my students and I were devastated. Nearly paralyzed from watching news reports nonstop, I had great difficulty discussing the issues with them, but knew it was something I had to do.

What astounded me was the compassion and depth of understanding my students showed. They fully understood the risks the astronauts took and understood even more the loss the families sustained. But remarkably, not one of my students felt NASA should stop their missions. The very future of science, they agreed, would be at stake.

I was deeply moved by the letters all my students would later write to the families, and I hope the families found solace in them. But I hope more that at least one of my students will go on to continue the dreams and desires of the brave heroes who lost their lives.

I would look at it, fondly, as my personal contribution to the spectacular future of science and space.

Veronique Paquette is a second-grade teacher at Kenroy Elementary School in Wenatchee, Washington. She is also this year's Washington State Teacher of the Year.

Editor's Note

It's possible you've seen their names, but only if you read the fine print on the bottom of page 2.

There you'll find the members who are part of the NEA Today Local Editor Advisory Board. Since 1996, the eight-person Advisory Board, whose members have changed over the years, has been helping NEA Today staff to fine-tune the publication to make it more engaging and useful for NEA members.

Panel members are teachers and para- professionals, working at large high schools, middle and elementary schools. They hail from diverse communities across the country: from deep in the heart in El Paso, Texas, to the coasts in Los Angeles and Newcastle, Delaware, from big cities, suburbs, and rural areas.

One of the group's tasks is to critique each issue of NEA Today. Panel members (who receive their issues ahead of the regular membership) are asked to evaluate each issue using a series of questions.

For example, which stories moved you to action? What did you like best or least about the issue? Did the cover attract your attention? How could it have been better?

The advisory panel members frequently poll other members at their schools and highlight this feedback for NEA writers and editors. Once a year panel members come to NEA headquarters to offer first-hand opinions and preferences to NEA Today staff.

This year, eight local editors came to Washington in late February for a day and a half of meetings that kicked off a week of NEA Today story planning for next year. Besides offering story suggestions, the local editors also had a chance to meet with NEA President Reg Weaver who responded to their questions and concerns and those of their colleagues back home.

--Bill Fischer