The schools in our district are really great schools. We are a small district, but we have some great technology. There are smartboards in every classroom. Those things are amazing. They can do so many things that the teachers wish they had more training and time to utilize them fully. The technology is so advanced, it blows me away. When I was in 8th grade, we had Commodore 64 computers. Anyone remember those? That was back in the 80s when we had Pong on Atari and Space Invaders and Pac-man had just come out.
I was listening to NPR yesterday and realized that it was 25 years ago that I watched the first playback of the Challenger Shuttle exploding. We were in some other class and we heard screams coming from the next room. They were having social studies class and got to watch the launch. I remember being upset that our class wasn't going to get to see it. I also remember our teacher running from the room to see what was going on. He then called us over. We saw the first playback, and stood frozen while it was repeated, and repeated. This shuttle had a teacher aboard. It was really a very big deal. She had gone through all the training and was smiling and waving as she boarded the shuttle. She had no idea that her life was about to end. She died happy and excited though. I don't think that they had any warning, no idea that there was even a problem. I don't feel old enough to remember things that happened a quarter of a century ago. That is probably good. It means I still feel young.
My oldest daughter was only three on September 11, 2001. She actually remembers the planes hitting the twin towers. We tuned in to one of the local stations, which wasn't normal, usually we went straight to Sesame Street. We saw the first tower on fire and the announcer was talking about a plane hitting it and how it could have been an accident. While he was busy speculating, the second plane hit. He kept talking, like he didn't see it. Then he realized, as we all did, that this was no accident. Later, news came in that a plane had hit the pentagon and then another went down in a field. That last one did not reach it's destination. The people on that plane went down fighting, knowing that they would die. Maybe, on September 11, 2026, my daughter will look back and realize that she remembers things that happened 25 years ago.
My younger daughter was not even one on 9/11/01. She may remember BPs big oil spill. She will remember things like the miners (all of them) being rescued from a mine. I like that memory. She will remember the Packers going to the Superbowl. I should say winning the Superbowl. That will be a good memory too.
What a long way we've come. When I got my driver's license, there were no such things as cell phones, at least not for common people. I think police officers had bag phones, but everyday people just didn't have them. You had to look for a pay phone if you wanted to make a call. There was absolutely no such thing as texting. The most distracting thing we did while driving was drink a soda and smoke a cigarette. I think that technology is good. As with anything, there are good points and bad. It usually comes down to the control we have over ourselves. I love my computer. I love email. I love the fact that I can keep in touch with friends that I never get to see, just by going to my facebook page. I would probably hide in my house communicating through my computer forever and ever. Is human interaction really necessary? Without it the race would die, wouldn't it? Next time you are in a room full of people, try this experiment. Turn your phone to vibrate and then ignore it. Or, turn it off completely. Can you do that for two hours? Next step, enjoy the actual live people around you and then when you are done, check your messages and your texts. They will still be there.
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