Sunday March 9, 1986
222
Mike tries to help his students understand the Challenger space shuttle explosion. The news is especially difficult for Punky, who aspires to become an astronaut and faces opposition from her classmates when she declares that the tragedy has not changed her feelings. In the wake of these events, Mike invites a special guest to the classroom.
Write a Recap »I am VERY glad that I can finally comment on this episode after 22 years! hide show
When the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up 73 seconds after its launch on January 8, 1986 my 11 year old son and his class witnessed it on the TV brought into their classroom for the special occasion of Sharon McAuliffe becoming the first "Teacher in Space." Needless to say all of the children were devastated by this tragedy.
When this episode aired two months after the fact I am sure it was meant as a tribute to Ms. McAuliffe and that those involved in its production had very good intentions.
But unfortunately all that this episode succeeded in doing in our house was bring back the terrible memories of that tragedy, reopening all of the pain that had slowly been receding.
Not only was my son so distraught that he could not even finish watching this episode, but he refused to watch any further episodes of "Punky Brewster." That was really a shame, as it was a quality show that we approved of his viewing.
I guess by this time, if the show is airing in syndication, it won't have this type of affect on most viewers because so much time has gone by. But even while typing this out, the memory of my son's pain still brings pain to me.
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