TECHNOS

July 20, 2008

TECHNOS QUARTERLY Spring 1999 Vol. 8 No. 1

Interview with Barbara Radding Morgan

By Mardell Raney

An elementary school teacher from McCall, Idaho, Barbara Morgan was selected by NASA in January 1998 as a full-fledged astronaut, the first in a new class of education mission specialists who have science, mathematics, and technology backgrounds. Morgan has worked with NASA's Education Division (http://education.nasa.gov) since being selected as backup candidate for the Teacher in Space Project with Christa McAuliffe on July 19, 1985. Now in training at the Johnson Space Center in Houston for a future Shuttle mission, she's also involved in Space Station construction. But her real goal is to make learning, teaching, and change exciting for students and teachers everywhere—and to bring the universe into every classroom. Mardell Raney spoke with Morgan before she entered the new two-year training program.

Could you give a brief background on the NASA program that you're representing?

In January, NASA administrator Dan Golden announced a new category of mission specialists called educator mission specialists. There are basically two categories of astronaut: the commanders and pilots and the mission specialists who typically are scientists, engineers, and medical doctors who fly and do the science on board the shuttle while the pilots and commanders fly the orbiter. As you can imagine, I'm really excited about educator mission specialists. Education has always been an important part of NASA's whole mission and goals, which puts it in a highly visible and ongoing area: the astronaut corps. When Mr. Golden made that announcement, that was the end of the Teacher in Space program, which started in 1986 with Christa McAuliffe, and the beginning of educator mission specialists. Christa was and always will be our teacher in space. I'm just sorry that she's not here to continue on as an educator mission specialist.

I understand that you trained with her.

Yes. I was lucky enough to be her backup. A lot of other teachers were involved in the program also. We had two representatives from every state and representatives from the Department of Defense and the Agency for International Development schools. Eight of the finalists spent a year at a NASA center working with their education offices on educational programs, designing programs, and giving a classroom teacher's perspective on NASA and their programs. NASA is wonderful about really understanding teachers and their value. I like to tease that they don't work in a vacuum like the vacuum of space. They connect directly with the classroom teacher to make sure that we're supporting each other.

How were you selected for the Teacher in Space program?

There was a national interview and application process and something like 11,000 teachers applied to be the teacher in space. We had interviews at the state level and then at the national level.

What about your current assignment—will others be chosen as education mission specialists during your tenure?

I hope so. It's brand new so I'm not quite sure exactly what's going to happen. I'll find out more when I start my training this summer. But yes, this is a whole new category and other teachers can certainly apply and be selected. I don't know how many, but I know that there will be many teachers applying and I hope there will be lots of slots for them.

Will they all be science, math, or technology teachers?

The Teacher in Space program drew from a wide variety of teachers. Christa was a social studies teacher and I think that's really important. We had language teachers, music teachers, and about half were science and math teachers. About half were high school teachers, but it really ran the gamut. Right now Mr. Golden is looking for people with science, math, and technology degrees who have teaching experience and credentials in the K–12 schools. We have other teachers who fly but they are university professors.

Can you tell us a little about the mission itself? How long will it last? And will this be a Challenger mission?

I'm actually joining the next class of astronauts, called astronaut candidates, starting in summer 1998. We will spend about a year in training, learning all the basic systems of the Orbiter, the International Space Station, and various NASA programs. Next I'll be assigned to a technical job, then to a flight, and I'll train for a year or two in mission-specific training. That's in depth, and it's going to be wonderful. But as far as which flight I'll be on, I won't know until I'm assigned. Generally the flights average about 14 to 16 days, and they vary from microgravity lab to satellite deployment to the Shuttle Mir program—and, of course, the Space Station. In fall 1998 we actually start putting the station together with pieces that are either built or being built. So most of the flights over the next five years are going to be dedicated to building the Space Station. I never thought of myself as having a career as a builder, but I can't tell you how excited I am to be in the construction business.

What will your specific duties be while on board?

That's a good question. As the educator mission specialist I will have assigned duties, just as the other mission specialists do. I'll be doing hands-on science and technology, along with specific duties for education. We've spent the last 12 years in anticipation of NASA's giving the go-ahead to fly, and so we've designed many lessons over the years with the help of a lot of teachers, getting a basic idea and a feeling for what teachers and students want and making sure that it meets their needs. But the most valuable lessons are going to be mission specific. Until I get assigned to a mission we won't know exactly what that's going to be like. NASA doesn't work in a vacuum. NASA officials work very hard to support the national math goals (NCTM), the technology goals that ITEA is putting together, and the national science standards. Everything NASA does with its education programs is in support of our national educational organizations and the national goals. So it's not just one or two people deciding these lessons but a whole slew of folks. It's part of NASA's whole mission statement.

Certain detractors of this program have called it a stunt or a promotion or even a gimmick, yet we know it has solid and original educational value. How do you answer these detractors?

That same comment was raised concerning the Teacher in Space program 13 years ago. Christa obviously proved them wrong. She certainly wasn't doing it as a PR stunt, and she knew its value for education. At that time A Nation at Risk had come out and there was a saying, “Those that can, do; and those that can't teach.” Teachers and our school system were really being lambasted, and I was very proud of NASA for being pretty much the first government agency to do something that would help turn that around. Christa put a very positive focus on teachers and teaching. After that there was a big upswing, and we had a lot of young people going into education. People were starting to take a positive look at the schools. It made a big difference. Some of the reform movements came down to “let's just plop a computer in front of every kid” or “let's put this program in this teacher's hands” without any regard for the professionalism of the person who has the biggest effect on any classroom—the teacher. I think Christa really turned that around through the Teacher in Space program. The most lasting and exciting reforms going on right now, like the science and math standards, are all being done with great teacher input. Thirteen years later those messages are still out there, but they tend to be a little more subtle or maybe nonverbal—and often even more damaging.

How do you think that your training and activities with NASA will contribute to or help advance the existing U.S. science curriculum in schools?

I'm not doing it for PR or as a stunt, but I think it's very symbolic—which is exactly how we teach. Our language is a system of symbols. Math is a system of symbols. It's how we humans communicate, and to have educator mission specialists is a symbol. I'm really excited about this. It's not just a one-shot deal but an ongoing, integral part of NASA's astronaut corps. That's highly symbolic, and it sends out a wonderful message to our students and teachers and communities to look at the importance of what's going on in our schools.

Are space and science included in current science instruction, particularly at the elementary level? And if so, how up-to-date are the materials?

That really varies from school to school. In my own school, unfortunately, space science is not part of our curriculum right now. When we adopted our new curriculum, somehow it got left out. But I can tell you that now everybody is scrambling to get space into their classrooms. It depends on the district and the schools, but I'd say there is a wide variety in those that do have it as part of their curriculum and those that don't. Last year I worked on a wonderful K–12 program called Mission Mathematics that NASA did in partnership with NTCM. It was really interesting. We had groups of teachers putting the materials together with other professionals. The teachers came with either a very strong math and math-teaching background or a fairly good math background plus a lot of knowledge in space and space science. It was a wonderful melding to be able to come up with some materials. A couple of the teachers in the group that I worked with were expressing frustration because space science had been dropped from their curriculum, not for any particular reason but just kind of the way things happen. I really hope that through all of this, whatever mission that I'm on or whatever lessons we design, we can look at space as part of our world and not as something that's out there. That's where part of the challenge has been. The debates over whether we ought to be funding space or things here on earth give the impression that it's us against them. As we teach children about our world we're not just teaching our own little neighborhood; we expand into our entire world—and that's the universe. The exciting thing is that the universe is constantly expanding, and if we can help each other see it in those terms, all this stuff will make a lot more sense.

NASA has declared its intention to make teaching a serious part of its program in the future. Do you think you might be involved with NASA in some capacity in this program? Or do you plan to return to your classroom after your educator mission specialist experience is finished?

I definitely plan to return to my classroom. I think I'll always be working with NASA, but I'm planning to go back to my classroom. Over the past 12 years I've been dividing my time between my classroom and Teaching from Space Program activities. So there's a way to be able to meld those, but definitely I'll be in the classroom working with my students. That's a great joy for me.

What were your childhood and early school years like? Were you encouraged to achieve more than the average? Were you unusually precocious or fearless?

Oh no. I grew up with four brothers in a wonderful family. Our whole family really enjoyed learning and doing things, so we were always encouraged to do whatever we wanted to do. One Christmas my folks gave us a little teeny tiny—by today's standards—telescope. It was a big deal for us, and that really did it for me. I still have that telescope today and use it with my students. You can't see much through it, but they have fun trying to point to some of the planets and look at them. We were just encouraged. Education was definitely important, and it was always a given that we would all go to college. That wasn't up for discussion. It wasn't anything that we talked about, just an understanding that everybody had.

Did you always want to go into teaching?

I did when I was young, because I loved school. But all through high school I also loved the sciences and music, so that seemed to be where I was headed. I knew early on that I wanted to do some kind of service. But throughout high school and college the two things I decided I would never be were a teacher and a nurse. Those were the last things I wanted to be. Then my junior year I took a wonderful course on the brain and I got really excited about it. One day I was in the bookstore looking around and happened to wander over to the education area. I started looking for books on the brain and picked up a book on Maria Montessori that I loved. I realized, gosh, if I'm so interested in the brain and how we learn, I might want to think about going into teaching because that's where the learning is. So it all kind of fell into place, and I'm glad it did because it's something I've been doing now for 24 years. I love just about every day of it.

You've had some rather unusual teaching experiences with nontraditional groups and minorities, such as children at the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana and in Quito, Ecuador.

It's funny when you say that, because I think every day as a teacher is unusual. Maybe that's especially true at the elementary level, but I think it's true for any level. Something unexpected is going to happen every day.

You really are an inspiration and model for teachers, and you're helping to increase national awareness, not only of the teaching profession but also of science careers and the space program. What has been the reaction of other educators to this? Do they see the enormous opportunity and potential for education?

They are really excited about it. I think that's the whole design of the program. Everybody feels connected and a part of it. That's what it's all about. In the training I'll be looking at everything the whole time through a teacher's eyes, and I want to be able to relate my experiences and opportunities back to my colleagues to funnel on to their students. One of the neatest things happened in my own school. Right after the announcement, my husband happened to come to school to bring something for one of our children who'd forgotten his hat or something. One of my colleagues said to him, “Clay, you don't know what this does for teacher moral. We haven't had this good a day in a long time.” And I think that said it all. There's just been a wonderful outpouring from all over.

What about women and girls who see you as a role model? Women often have lacked the science and math knowledge and interest necessary to enter certain careers in our technological age. How can we encourage girls to study and pursue these careers?

We need to keep giving them all the opportunities we can. We need to set the expectation that they can do it and that they're going to want to do it—the same way my folks had those expectations for my brothers and me. They didn't make any distinction between us. In the classroom we need to pay close attention to that. My classroom this year, for example, is two-to-one boys to girls. I have to make a conscious effort to make sure that when we're having a discussion and communicating mathematics that I'm calling on the girls equally with the boys. Girls, particularly when they're outnumbered, tend to be a little quieter and to defer to the boys, even at the third-grade level.

How did that tragic accident—the loss of the Challenger and its crew, including Christa McAuliffe, in January 1986—affect you and your dedication to the program—or did it?

Oh, it did. I learned so much from Christa. It would take pages and pages to describe. When the announcement came out about my appointment, I thought, what a marvelous opportunity for my students and for teachers to do some exploration and discovery and lifelong learning—to be able to bring my students along. I was really thinking in terms of my classroom and my kids and getting into that program. I realized that it is much bigger than I could have ever imagined and how it's grown over the years. It went from one teacher in space to the Teaching from Space Program, which involved a whole variety of activities for students and teachers. Christa understood that even before we started. That's one of the many reasons why she did such a great job. I learned a lot from Christa about how to be a good teacher.

Are you concerned about the quality of education in the United States? Are teachers given enough training and support to maintain their knowledge and skills, especially with technology?

In math and technology we're on the right track. I really can't think of a better public education system. We've got it. But that doesn't mean we don't need to improve or constantly look at what we're doing. It's dynamic. I can tell you that teachers work very hard and it's a difficult job. Every year we have new groups of students and more research on how students learn. We're teaching more and more in what seems to be less and less time. I think everybody is doing his or her best, but there's just so much to keep up on. Yes, we could always learn and do more and have more access to equipment. We are getting more technology equipment into our classrooms now, but to be able to use it to its fullest you must have time—not just time to take a course but time to sit down and work with it, get to know it, and then work with it with your students. That's how you get good at it. You also need to work with other teachers who are using it in their classrooms and share ideas. Put the tool to its best use. That's always an issue. I think schools are doing their best to keep up. That doesn't mean we're there yet; we need to keep working at it.

With technology making our world smaller every day and scientific knowledge and global commerce increasing at such an incredible rate, what changes could schools make to prepare students for this whole new world that they're growing up in?

I've never been asked that question before, but I think we need to give kids a solid foundation that they can always draw on—the basics that keep us all communicating and being able to work together. Three other things are crucial. These are buzzwords that I use with my students, especially in math. The first two are competence and confidence. Students must have the competence and the confidence to be able to meet challenges that they haven't met before. The third factor is change. We can't train students in one specific type of technology without the understanding that it may not be here in two years. Training must be part of an ongoing process and an understanding that tools will change as we find better and better tools to meet our needs. But at the same time students must get very comfortable with using different types of tools and in deciding which tool is the right one to do the job well.

Should children be exposed to cutting-edge career opportunities and real workplace situations at an early age? For example, should they be led to see how subjects such as biology and geography interrelate and have relevance to each other rather than just being taught discrete subjects?

Absolutely. You hit it right on the nose. Otherwise it makes no sense. All good teachers will tell you that before you start any lesson, children have to understand where you're going. They have to see that or there is no relevance to it at all, or it's difficult to find the relevance. As for getting them into the real work world, I can't think of a better way to learn. We learn best by doing. I had this conversation with a parent a couple of months ago about her son. He was having a difficult time with motivation, and I asked what he saw for himself in the future. Where would he like to be? What would he like to be doing? Where would he like to go? This is a wonderful, bright young man who just wasn't focused. He really didn't understand why he was in school. He had no clue. I realize that kids who have goals do well and the corollary: people who do well have goals. No matter what he wants to do or where he wants to be—and that may change 20 times through his school years—it would make all the difference in the world for him to be working toward something. We discussed with his mom the idea of taking him out of school for several days to work on a real work site. She agreed to listen to his conversation for signs of interest. It turned out that he's interested in TV cop shows. So let's get him to spend the day in the police station and maybe ride around in the car just to see what the opportunities are. I know those folks would be delighted to take him around and actually show how they use math and science and writing and communication in their world. That would make learning relevant, important, and exciting to him.

What do your students think about your new assignment? Will they be involved in any way? Do you plan to communicate with them from the spacecraft?

They're all very excited. I'm trying very hard to keep our class moving forward, because I want to make sure that my students are as prepared as the other third graders to move on next year. We've had some NASA business in our room in addition to all the space days we do as part of our regular learning throughout the school year, so they've had some additional experiences, such as learning about media technology. It's been really exciting for them to learn about the cameras and microphones and those kinds of jobs and worldwide travel. I don't plan to communicate only with my own students; we all plan to communicate across the country. We've talked in class about how technology changes and brings our world closer together and makes it smaller. Last May 21st was Cyberspace Day, when everyone who had a satellite downlink capability or access to cable TV or the Internet could communicate directly with scientists, engineers, astronauts, and other such folks. I keep remembering 13 years ago when we were working on Christa's lessons and how excited we were that Christa was going to talk directly from space to her students in Concord, New Hampshire, and to students in my hometown in McCall, Idaho—while all these other kids and teachers around the country watched. It was a difficult thing to do at that time; the technology was there, but actually using it was pretty new. To think that in only 13 years we've come from there to this situation on May 21st where it's not just a bunch of people watching a few people communicate with each other. It can be a worldwide communication, participating in a real exciting learning adventure.

Do your third graders in McCall use the Internet?

Yes, we use it as a tool as it fits in with what we're doing. McCall is a very small town of 2,000 people 100 miles north of Boise, the closest city. We've got a wonderful library at our school and a wonderful community library, but we're still out in the hinterlands as far as accessing information is concerned. So the Internet is definitely a great way for us to get information. Recently we were reading an Australian folktale about how the diggerydoo came to be. What's a diggerydoo and what does it do? So we looked it up on the Internet. Not only did we read about the diggerydoo and see a picture of it, but we got to hear what it sounds like. A few years ago that could never happen. We could only have imagined it.

This is going to be a real mountaintop experience for you. What comes next?

Back to the classroom and more learning. It's almost funny. It's like back to the future. Every day is new. In fact, one of my biggest fears is being out of the classroom for several years, because it changes so dramatically. How am I going to be able to keep up with it? If I look back, my teaching has certainly changed over the years. I just hope I won't be so out of it that nobody will want to hire me after I get back!

Of course you won't be. You're going to be far ahead of the stream and a role model for other teachers. But I'm wondering who or what had the greatest influence on your life?

A lot of people throughout my life. I've had wonderful teachers. It seems like wherever I've been I've met wonderful people and learned from everybody that I'm around. I've had lots of influences in my life. Probably one of the biggest was the Challenger. I carry the memories and the lessons from those folks with me every day.

I know that you participate in several sports and you're remarkably fit, but still NASA training and the space flight itself will be rigorous. Do you ever feel that the physical, mental, and psychological preparation is overwhelming?

No, because you're talking to a classroom teacher. In fact, I honestly think it's more rigorous to be a classroom teacher. As far as the physical stuff is concerned, my best exercise is probably chasing third graders around the room. I passed my flight physical, but for space flight I'm going to want to be in better shape—even though I'm fine now and qualified to go. I actually look forward to being able to build some physical training time into my long workday, which is hard to do in the classroom.

What would you like your legacy to be?

I really don't think of myself that way. It's very important to me that Christa is recognized as our teacher in space. I just happen to be the lucky next guy. I hope my legacy would be, and I hate to even use that word, but that there will be lots of educator mission specialists and that this program carries on.