The Fan They Had
( Isaac Asimov who wrote this story is also a well-known scientist. In
this story he described school of 22nd century. In the opinion of children
living in 22nd century , their great grandfathers must have had a lot of
fun going to school.)
Margie even wrote about it that night is her diary . On the page headed
15 may 2155 she wrote, “ Today Tommy 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 time when all
stories were printed on paper.
They turned the pages , 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.
“ Gee”, said Tommy? “ Whate a waste! When you’re though 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.
“Same with me ,” 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?”
“In my house. In the attic.” He pointed without looking , because he
was busy reading.
“ What’s it about?”
“School.”
Margie was scornful. “ School? What’s there to write about school ? I
hate school.”
Margie always hated school , but now she hared it more then ever. The
mechanical teacher had been given her test after test in geography and she
was doing worse until her mother had sent for the County Inspector who came
with a box full of tools, dials and wires.
He took the teacher apart/ Margie had hoped he wouldn’t know how to put
it together again, but he knew how all right and after an hour or so ,
there it was again , large and black with a big screen on which all lessons
were shown and the questions were asked. That wasn’t so bad. The part she
hated most was the slot where she had put homework and test papers. She
always had to write them out in special code they had her learn when she
was six years old , and the mechanical teacher calculated the mark in no
time.
The Inspector said to her another , “ It’s not the little girl’s fault,
Mrs. Jones . I think the geography sector was geared a little too quick.
I’ve slowed it up to an average ten-year level!’
Margie was disappointed. She had been hoping they would take the
teacher away altogether. The had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly
a month because the history sector blanked out completely.
So she said to Tommy , “ Why would anyone write about school?”
Tommy locked at her with very superior eyes. “ Because it’s not our
kind of school , stupid. This is the old kind of school they had hundreds
and hundreds of years 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/”
“ Sure they had a teacher and 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.”
“ I wouldn’t want a strange man in my house to teach me.” Tommy
screamed with laughter. “You don’t know much, Margie. The teacher didn’t
live in the house. They had a special building and all the kids went
there.”
“ And all the kids learned the same things?”
“Sure, if they were the same age.”
Now Margie wanted to read about those funny schools. They didn’t even
half finish when Margie’s mother called ,”Margie! School!”
“ May be ,” he said walking away.
Margie went into the schoolroom. It was next to her bedroom, and the
mechanical teacher was on and was waiting for her. The screen was lit up
and said, “ Please insert yesterday’s home work in the proper slot.”
Margie did so with a sigh. She was thinking about the old school they
had when her grandfather’s grandfather was a little boy. All the kids from
the whole neighborhood came , laughing and shouting in the school-yard,
sitting together in the school-room , going home together at the end of the
day. They learned the same things so they could help one another on the
homework and talk about it. And the teacher were people…
Margie was thinking about how the kids must have loved it in the old
days. She was thinking about the fun they had.
(
After Issac Asimov)
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