When I hear people talk about the Artemis program and what it might mean for the future, especially for education, I don’t just hear excitement. I hear something familiar because I have lived through a moment like this before.
In 1987, I accepted a position at an Elementary School in San Ramon, CA. My title was small and forgettable. At the time, we had a tiny room off the library that had been converted into a computer lab, and inside that room were PET computers.
Looking back now, it feels like the beginning of something ancient. But at the time, it was new. Uncertain. Not fully understood.
And yet, something was happening.
The kids were drawn to it immediately. That little room would fill up. Sometimes it was overwhelming, sometimes chaotic, but it was alive. I started opening the lab during lunch, and it became a place where students wanted to be. Not because they had to be there, but because something about it sparked their curiosity.
Two students in particular have stayed with me all these years.
One was a young boy who struggled in the classroom and had difficulty even saying my name. The other children were not always kind about it. So I did something simple. I changed my name, at least for them. I became Mrs. Mouse. It gave him a way in, a way to belong, and in time, he became one of my helpers. I now believe that he was autistic. But at the time, I was not privileged to that information. I only knew that he felt comfortable in that space and had an innate talent for working with computers.
Another boy, whose name I regret not remembering, had incredible mechanical ability but did not do well academically. In the lab, he came alive. He fixed tape machines, helped keep things running, and found a place where his strengths mattered.
Those moments taught me something long before I had the words for it. Education is not one-size-fits-all.
Sometimes, all it takes is the right environment for a student to be seen.
As the years passed, the technology changed. PET computers gave way to Apple II systems. Schools began to understand that this was not a passing trend. It was a shift. I took on more responsibility, working at multiple schools, and eventually moved into the district’s technology department. That allowed me to see what worked and what did not across many classrooms.
And then there was someone who changed the direction of my path. A director named Jon saw something in me that others did not. While many after him tried to minimize my role, he chose to invest in it. Under his leadership, I was trained to program VOIP phone systems. It was a significant step forward, one that expanded not only my responsibilities but my confidence.
I stayed for thirty-two and a half years. Long enough to see the beginning. Long enough to see the resistance. And long enough to see the transformation.
Why Artemis Feels So Familiar
When I look at Artemis now, I don’t just see a mission to the moon. I see the early computer lab all over again. At first, not everyone understands it. Some see it as unnecessary. Some see it as too expensive. Some simply do not yet know what to do with it. But the students will. They always do.
Just like those children who crowded into that tiny lab, today’s students will look at space exploration with curiosity and wonder. They will ask questions we cannot answer. And if we are honest, we will say, “I don’t know… but let’s find out.”
That may be one of the most important lessons of all.
I remember a student once telling me, with a bit of attitude, that I was the teacher and I was supposed to know everything. But I didn’t. And I still don’t. What I learned over time is that education is not about having all the answers.
It is about creating a space where questions are welcome.
Artemis has the potential to do that on a scale we have not seen in years. It can inspire interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, but more importantly, it can reach the students who do not always thrive in traditional settings.
The ones like my two helpers.
The ones who just need a different doorway.
Looking Back to Understand What’s Ahead
What I witnessed over my career was not just technological growth. It was the expansion of possibilities.
The students who once explored simple programs on early computers grew into a generation that now lives in a fully connected world. At the time, we could not fully see where it was going.
And that is exactly where we are with Artemis.
We do not know everything it will become. We do not know all the ways it will shape education, careers, and imagination. But we do know this. Exposure matters. Opportunity matters. And inspiration can begin in the smallest of spaces.
For me, it began in a converted book room with outdated equipment and a group of kids who simply wanted to be there.
For the next generation, it might begin with a rocket, a mission, and a question about what lies beyond what we can see.
Coffee Thoughts
Sometimes the biggest changes in education do not start with a perfect plan.
They start with curiosity. With access. With someone willing to say, “Let’s explore this together.”
I have seen what happens when that door is opened.
And I believe Artemis is another one of those doors.
We may not fully understand it yet.
But the students will. ❤️✨
Thank you for reading this blog post. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the Comments section below.
Copyright © 2019. I Don’t Know All The Answers, Nikki Mastro.
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Photo of Pet Computer: By Tduk – Own work Alex Lozupone, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11328805
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