Taking Off
Page 24
My seventh-grade English teacher, Richard Perkins, was one of the first people who made me think I might be a writer. I’ve tried to track him down, but without success. If I could find him, I would thank him for believing in me. —April Henry
The teachers that were the most inspirational to me were the ones who saw my light and believed in my ability to succeed. Their belief in me always made me try my hardest to live up to their vision. —Cheryl Renée Herbsman
When you asked for a memory of an inspirational teacher, I had no trouble remembering Mrs. Stockton, my third-grade teacher at Columbia Elementary in El Monte, California. She was the one who read Mr. Popper’s Penguins to our class, taught us to square dance, and how to make candles so all of us would have Christmas presents for our moms. She was the one who always listened, who was always fair, who taught me about caring and kindness. —C. Lee McKenzie
There have been many teachers who’ve pulled me up over the years, but one in particular stands out. She knew I was drowning on so many levels, and she spent extra time with me—often clearing an afternoon’s appointments. She encouraged my writing, sought additional resources to help me find my path, and once even took photos that she said would be my author photos. She helped me gain my footing again and actually see what possibilities lay out there for me—possibilities I couldn’t see myself because of all the clouds. —Neesha Meminger
Most of my teachers were happy to let me fail quietly—at least I wasn’t causing trouble. But my freshman/sophomore English teacher, Mrs. Redman, engaged me when I was disengaged and taught me the way I needed to be taught. She made a lover of words out of me—and I made the love of words my life. Everything I am as a writer and a reader started with her. —Saundra Mitchell
My calculus teacher Mrs. Byrnes took the time to encourage me and also found me a job as a math tutor at college. I was impressed that a woman, and one who seemed elderly to me, was so gifted in calculus. This was at a time when math was considered to be a strength of boys, not girls. Because of Mrs. Byrnes, I considered being a math teacher and eventually became an engineer. —Jenny Moss
Mr. McMahon, my high school sociology teacher, surprised our class on the day before graduation with a beautiful send-off, complete with music, flowers, and some much-needed words of encouragement. His simple farewell gesture steadied the uncertainty in my heart and was just a small example of who he was—the teacher who cared for us as his own, who dared us to speak and live with honesty and passion, who broke the rules to help when we needed it most. I will never forget him. —Sarah Ockler
My most memorable teacher was my second-grade teacher, Mrs. Norma Bernsohn. She instilled me with curiosity, academic tenacity, and independence. Plus she encouraged me to write my very first one-act play—a dull little affair about Pilgrims (with authentic Pilgrim names like Julie and Marcia) landing at Plymouth Rock—and then let me perform it for the class with my friends! —Joy Preble
My second-grade teacher, Ms. Schneider, believed in making each child feel special. I still have the framed picture she took of me, with these words printed on the picture frame mat: “Small caterpillar. Infinite soul of wisdom. Your wings are waiting.” Teachers like her helped me to believe anything is possible. —Lisa Schroeder
I’m forever grateful for my hip fifth-grade teacher, Miss Storch, who not only read aloud to our class every day, but in so doing introduced me to The Phantom Tollbooth, easily the single most influential book in my life and my writing career. —Joni Sensel
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ABC News Reports: 7/19/1985; 1/23/1986; 1/28/1986.
Burgess, Colin. Teacher in Space: Christa McAuliffe and the Challenger Legacy. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2000.
Corrigan, Grace. A Journal for Christa. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1993.
CNN Presents. “Christa McAuliffe: Reach for the Stars.” Transcript online at http://transcripts.cnn.com /TRANSCRIPTS/0601/22/cp.01.html.
Harwood, William, and Rob Navias. “Challenger Timeline.” United Press International (UPI). Provided on http://SpaceflightNow.com/challenger/timeline.
Hohler, Robert. I Touch the Future: The Story of Christa McAuliffe. New York: Random House, 1986.
Houston Chronicle articles, various. January 1986.
Lewis, Richard. Challenger: The Final Voyage. New York: Columbia University Press, 1988.
McConnell, Malcolm. Challenger: A Major Malfunction. New York: Doubleday, 1987.
McDonald, Allan, and James Hansen. Truth, Lies, and O-Rings: Inside the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2009.
Recer, Paul. “Teacher hopes to teach ‘space is for everybody.’ ” Anchorage Daily News, December 14, 1985.
Richman, Alan, and Ron Arias. “A Lesson in Uncommon Valor.” People, February 10, 1986.
Van Blema, David H. “Christa McAuliffe Gets NASA’s Nod to Conduct America’s First Classroom in Space.” People, August 5, 1985.
Wald, Matthew. “The Shuttle Inquiry; 500 Attend Mass for Space Teacher.” The New York Times, February 4, 1986.
Wilford, John Noble. “Teacher is Picked for Shuttle Trip.” The New York Times, July 20, 1985.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks so much to:
• The wonderful Nancy Gallt and Marietta Zacker of the Nancy Gallt Literary Agency.
• The brilliant Walker team: Emily Easton, Beth Eller, Katie Fee, Mary Kate Castellani, and Deb Shapiro.
• Awesome critiquers Sally Barringer, Leigh Brescia, Megan Crewe, Mary Ann Hellinghausen, Jennifer Jabaley, Morgan McKissack Lauck, Bettina Restrepo, and Christine Suffredini. And much gratitude to the Debs, who helped with title suggestions, prologue critiques, and general emotional bucking-up.
• Barbara Morgan, the backup candidate for the Teacher in Space program, who recommended Robert Hohler’s book I Touch the Future: The Story of Christa McAuliffe, and to her assistant, Kimberly Long, for their help.
• Robert Hohler, for such a close, detailed portrayal of Christa McAuliffe. I used many quotes of Christa’s from I Touch the Future in the hopes of providing an authentic glimpse of her enthusiasm and spirit.
• Those who filled in the gaps of my memory of Christa McAuliffe, the Johnson Space Center, the Kennedy Space Center, the Clear Lake area, and shuttle flights in the 1980s: Michelle Brekke, Mike Fawcett, Fisher Reynolds, Gene Powell, and Pete Hasbrook. Special thanks to Jerry Swain for providing descriptions of the Shuttle Mission Simulator and reading over those pages of the manuscript to check for accuracy. Thanks to Warren Greg Barringer for his help with the troubles of the Beatmobile. Any errors are mine alone.
• Ed and Grace Corrigan, for guiding to adulthood such an amazing human being.
ALSO BY JENNY MOSS
Winnie’s War
Copyright © 2011 by Jenny Moss
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
First published in the United States of America in January 2011
by Walker Publishing Company, Inc., a division of Bloomsbury Publishing, Inc
E-book edition published in January 2011
www.bloomsburyteens.com
For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, Walker BFYR, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010
Poem on page 171 from “August 19, Pad 19” by May Swenson. Reprinted with permission of The Literary Estate of May Swenson. All rights reserved.
Poem on page 238 from “Funeral Blues”by W. H. Auden, from Collected Poems of W. H. Auden, published by Random House, Inc.
Poem on page 275: “News Item,” copyright 1926, renewed © 1954 by Dorothy Parker, from The Portable Dorothy Parker by Dorothy Parker, edited by Marion Meade. Used by permission of Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Group (USA)
Inc.
Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:
Moss, Jenny.
Taking off / Jenny Moss.
p. cm
Summary: In 1985 in Clear Lake, Texas, home of the Johnson Space Center, high school senior Annie Porter struggles with her desire to become a poet, and when she meets Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher to go into space, just before her space shuttle flight, Annie’s resolve to pursue her dream is strengthened.
ISBN 978-0-8027-2193-8
[1. Self-realization—Fiction. 2. Poetry—Fiction. 3. Interpersonal relations—Fiction. 4. High schools—Fiction. 5. Schools—Fiction. 6. McAuliff e, Christa, 1948–1986—Fiction. 7. Challenger (Spacecraft)—Accidents—Fiction. 8. Texas—History—1951—Fiction.] I. Title
PZ7.M8533Tak 2010 [Fic]—dc22 2010025492
ISBN 978-0-8027-2258-4 (e-book)
Table of Contents
Cover
Ad Card
Title Page
Copyright
Table of Contents
Dedication
Epigraph
Prologue
Part One
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Part Two
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Part Three
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Epigraph
Author’s Note
Author Memories of Inspirational Teachers
Bibliography
Acknowledgments