You guys are all older than me, and I'm old.
I was in 4th grade near Columbus, so eastern time zone. It was right before lunch. I remember thinking I had this amazing news to tell people at lunchtime, but everyone had already heard it, of course.
We had "indoor recess" when it was cold enough. So the teacher grabbed what I thought was the only TV in the whole school. They probably had a bunch more. The TV used to be on a cart. TV, VCR, and whatever else was needed. All on the cart. Anyway, somehow she got the space shuttle launch on TV. I'm sure we didn't have cable. Maybe it picked up broadcast. Anyway, she had spent a bit of time that morning talking about it - civilian in space and how this is a big step toward easier and cheaper space travel. Since it was recess, she just let the TV run and we could do whatever we wanted - watch or do something else. I don't know where she went, but she wasn't there when it launched and later exploded. I remember maybe 8 of us actually watching. And I probably wasn't watching too carefully. But I do remember the explosion. I was pretty confused. Then the teacher came back, and some girl ran and told her what happened. She was understandably shocked. But she never turned the feed off. We watched it again and again and again. Then it was time for lunch. Again, I thought I had this amazing news for the friends I had in other classrooms. Remember - I thought this was the only TV in the whole school - no one else could have seen this, right? Anyway, I wasn't first with the news to anyone.
I saw my aunt some time later... maybe it was the summer. She asked me what "NASA" stood for. I told her it was for the National Aeronautical and Space Administration. She said, "Nope. Need Another Seven Astronauts." I was probably 10 years old at this point (9 when the disaster happened) and said to her, straight-faced, "That's pretty sick."