THE FUN THEY HAD
MARGIE even wrote about it that night in her diary. On the page headed 17 May 2157, she wrote, “Today Tommy found a real book!”
That night Margie wrote about it in her diary. The date at the top of the page was 17 May 2157. She wrote that Tommy had found a real book!
It was a very old book. Margie’s grandfather once said that when he was a little boy his grandfather told him that there was a time when all stories were printed on paper.
It was a very old book. Grandfather of Margie had once told her about books. Her grandfather told her what his grandfather had told him. He had told her grandfather that once upon a time all the stories or books used to be printed on a paper.
They turned the pages, which were yellow and crinkly, and it was awfully funny to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to — on a screen, you know.
People of old times, used to turn pages to read a book. Those pages were yellow and wrinkled. It was very funny that the words did not move on these pages. But the words are expected to move on a screen. (Difference between type of books and method of reading is expressed in these lines.)
And then when they turned back to the page before, it had the same words on it that it had had when they read it the first time.
And when they again looked at the page they had read before, it had the same words on it. These words on a page were always the same as that the words seen for the first time.
2. “Gee,” said Tommy, “what a waste. When you’re through with the book, you just throw it away, I guess. Our television screen must have had a million books on it and it’s good for plenty more. I wouldn’t throw it away.”
To have a printed book is a waste. Tommy guessed that after completing a book, one would throw it away. Thus it is a wastage. Our television screen has millions of books stored in it. Even now it has capacity to store more books. I will never delete a book from memory of my television.
“Same with mine,” said Margie. She was eleven and hadn’t seen as many telebooks as Tommy had. He was thirteen. She said, “Where did you find it?” Telebooks = Books that can be stored in television
Margie replied that his television also has capacity to store more books. She is 11 years old and has not seen as many books as Tommy has seen. Age of Tommy is thirteen. Margie asked Tommy where he found the book.
“In my house.” He pointed without looking, because he was busy reading. “In the attic.” “What’s it about?” “School.”
Tommy replied that he found the book in his attic. While replying he did not look at Margie because he was busy reading the book. Margie asked what the topic of the book was. He replied – ‘School’.
3. Margie was scornful. “School? What’s there to write about school? I hate school.” Margie always hated school, but now she hated it more than ever.
Tauntingly Margie exclaimed about school. There is nothing that can be written about school. Margie always hated school. But now her hate towards school was of highest degree.
The mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography and she had been doing worse and worse until her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully and sent for the County Inspector.
The teaching machine had started giving Margie more number of tests in geography. She had been doing worse in every paper. Her mother was worried and sad. One day her mother called the Inspector of teaching machine to check the machine.
4. He was a round little man with a red face and a whole box of tools with dials and wires. He smiled at Margie and gave her an apple, then took the teacher apart.
Margie had hoped that the Inspector would not know how to join the machine. But he knew. He repaired the teaching machine in about an hour. It looked a large, black and ugly machine having a big screen. All the lessons were shown on the screens. Questions were asked on the screen.
That wasn’t so bad. The part Margie hated most was the slot where she had to put homework and test papers. She always had to write them out in a punch code they made her learn when she was six years old, and the mechanical teacher calculated the marks in no time.
The work done by the Inspector was satisfactory. Margie hated the slot of the machine most. She had to put papers of her homework and answer sheets in that slot. She had to write her answers in a code language. This code language was taught to her when she was six years old. The teaching machine calculated her marks almost instantly.
5. The Inspector had smiled after he was finished and patted Margie’s head. He said to her mother, “It’s not the little girl’s fault, Mrs Jones. I think the geography sector was geared a little too quick.
After completing his work the Inspector patted head of Margie. Name of mother of Margie was Mrs. Jones. He said to her mother that it was not the fault of Margie. He thought that the geography section of the machine had become fast.
Those things happen sometimes. I’ve slowed it up to an average ten-year level. Actually, the overall pattern of her progress is quite satisfactory.” And he patted Margie’s head again.
Sometimes such problems come. Now I have reduced the speed of the teaching machine to the level of a ten year old student. Overall performance of Margie has been satisfactory. He patted Margie’s head and went away.
Margie was disappointed. She had been hoping they would take the teacher away altogether. They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely.
Margie was not happy. She had hoped that the Inspector would take away the teacher for repairing. Once they had taken away teacher of Tommy. It took them about a month to repair it. The history portion of his teacher had completely stopped working.
So she said to Tommy, “Why would anyone write about school?”
Therefore she asked why anybody would write about the school. She did not understand meaning of school. She was being taught by a mechanical teacher at her home.
6. Tommy looked at her with very superior eyes. “Because it’s not our kind of school, stupid. This is the old kind of school that they had hundreds and hundreds of years ago.” He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, “Centuries ago.”
Tommy looked at Margie as if he was more knowledgeable. He told her that it was not their type of school. That was an old type of school they had many hundred years ago. Quite arrogantly and carefully he said “Centuries ago.”
Margie was hurt. “Well, I don’t know what kind of school they had all that time ago.” She read the book over his shoulder for a while, then said, “Anyway, they had a teacher.”
Margie felt insulted. She said that she was not aware of the type of school they had during that time. She stood behind Tommy and read the book by looking over his shoulders. Then she said that they also had a teacher.
“Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.” “A man? How could a man be a teacher?” “Well, he just told the boys and girls things and gave them homework and asked them questions.”
Tommy replied that students of those days had a teacher. But it was not a teacher similar to that of our time. It was a human being. Margie was surprised. She asked how a human being can be a teacher. Tommy replied that the teacher explained certain things to student. He gave them homework and asked them questions.
7. “A man isn’t smart enough.” “Sure he is. My father knows as much as my teacher.” “He knows almost as much, I betcha.”
Maagie said that a human being is not intelligent. Tommy replied that human being is intelligent. Because my father knows as much as my mechanical teacher knows. He further said that he could bet his father knew as much as his teacher.
Margie wasn’t prepared to dispute that. She said, “I wouldn’t want a strange man in my house to teach me.”
Margie did not want to debate on this topic. She said that she would not like a strange person to be in her house to teach her.
Tommy screamed with laughter. “You don’t know much, Margie. The teachers didn’t live in the house. They had a special building and all the kids went there.”
Tommy laughed loudly and said that Margie did not know much about it. The teachers did not live in the houses of students. There was a special building where all the children went to study.
“And all the kids learned the same thing?” “Sure, if they were the same age.”
Margie asked if all student learnt the same thing. Tommy replied that they studied the same thing if they were of the same age.
8. “But my mother says a teacher has to be adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl it teaches and that each kid has to be taught differently.”Margie narrated what her mother had told her. She had said that teachers need to adjust their lesson according to the mental development of each student. Each kid needs to be taught in a different manner.
“Just the same they didn’t do it that way then. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to read the book.” “I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” Margie said quickly. She wanted to read about those funny schools.
Tommy said that during those days teacher did not teach in that manner. If you do not like their method of teaching, you need not read the book. Margie replied that she had not said that she did not like the book. She wanted to read the book to know about those funny schools.
They weren’t even half finished when Margie’s mother called, “Margie! School!” Margie looked up. “Not yet, Mamma.” “Now!” said Mrs Jones. “And it’s probably time for Tommy, too.” Margie said to Tommy, “Can I read the book some more with you after school?”
They had not completed the discussion yet. Her mother called Margie to come home to attend the school. Margie replied that it was not the time for school. Mrs. Jones asked Margie to come immediately. She also said that probably it was the time for school for Tommy also. Margie asked Tommy if she could read the book together with him after the school.
9. “May be,” he said nonchalantly. He walked away whistling, the dusty old book tucked beneath his arm.
Tommy casually replied that probable she could. He walked away whistling. The dirty looking book was put under his arm.
Margie went into the schoolroom. It was right next to her bedroom, and the mechanical teacher was on and waiting for her.
Margie entered the schoolroom in her house. This room was next to her bedroom. The mechanical teacher had already switched itself on. It was waiting for her arrival.
It was always on at the same time every day except Saturday and Sunday, because her mother said little girls learned better if they learned at regular hours.
It always switched itself on at same time. It remained off on Saturday and Sunday. Her mother believed that learning was better if a student studied at a fixed time every day.
The screen was lit up, and it said: “Today’s arithmetic lesson is on the addition of proper fractions. Please insert yesterday’s homework in the proper slot.”
There screen of the teacher was already bright and a message was written on it. The arithmetic lesson of today is about addition of proper fractions. The message advised Margie to put papers of yesterday’s homework in the correct slot.
10. Margie did so with a sigh. She was thinking about the old schools they had when her grandfather’s grandfather was a little boy.
Margie put her homework in the slit with a big sigh. She started thinking about the old school during the childhood days of grandfather of her grandfather.
All the kids from the whole neighborhood came, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard, sitting together in the schoolroom, going home together at the end of the day.
All children from the complete nearby locality, came to school. They used to laugh, and shout in the schoolyard. They would sit together in the classroom and return home together at the end of the school.
They learned the same things, so they could help one another with the homework and talk about it. And the teachers were people…
They were taught the same thing. So, they could help each other doing their homework. They could discuss about their homework and their lesson. And the teachers were human beings.
The mechanical teacher was flashing on the screen: “When we add fractions ½ and ¼...” Margie was thinking about how the kids must have loved it in the old days. She was thinking about the fun they had.
The mechanical teacher was displaying lessons on its screen. Margie was thinking about how much children of earlier days would have liked their school. She was trying to imagine the fun they must have had in the school.
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