In a world where the population is approximately 7.4 billion people, and approximately 50% of those people are female, there are a lot of stories that have gone untold. This cache series recognizes some amazing women and girls, and highlights their contributions to our planet...some large, some small, but all very important. Do you know all of these Mighty Girls? I hope that someone in this series is a new name to you, and that you will help to share these stories, and many more! I also look forward to hearing your own Mighty Girl stories!
A Mighty Girl 4: Christa McAuliffe
Christa McAuliffe was born in 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts. She received certification as a high school teacher in 1970, and a master’s in education in 1978. She taught mainly Social Studies and American History, and according to The New York Times, she “emphasized the impact of ordinary people on history, saying they were as important to the historical record as kings, politicians, or generals.”
In 1985, Christa was selected from more than 11,000 applicants to become the first Teacher (and American civilian) in Space. Her plan was to conduct experiments and teach lessons from the Space Shuttle Challenger. Sadly, Christa died on January 28, 1986, when the Challenger broke apart just after launch.
Christa McAuliffe has been honoured in many different ways. I like to think that Ms. Frizzle was, at least a little bit, based off of this teacher who wasn’t afraid to take chances!