One of my all time favorite books is A Wrinkle in Time by
Madeline L'Engle. L'Engle's book is one of the most celebrated books. Did you know its
publishing debut took over 26 rejections before finally being recognized for
its strong message and suitability for young readers? Until it was acquired by the publishing
house John Farrar at Farrar, Straus & Giroux. This month in
celebration of its 50 years in print, it has now come out as a graphic novel.
Graphic Novel
Beyond A Wrinkle in Time's many themes: good
vs. evil, coming of age, fitting in, over coming the odds--the story is
noteworthy because L'Engle chose a science fiction venue for her scenes.
In particular, the scene on Camazotz where children are outside
bouncing balls in unison is profound. So let's look a bit closer here. Let's
consider the children and their education on this most formidable planet.
What could it be like? Recall, in that particular scene [p. 126]
the mother of the child becomes frantic when she sees her child bounce the ball
out of step from everyone else.
Later on she makes a claim about how all the children are
"perfectly trained." Based on that remark, consider what type of
training or schooling children living on a dark planet received.
Clearly, L'Engle was very much ahead of her time, but so too was
another author, Isaac Asimov. He was the author of a science fiction short
story published in 1951, The
Fun They Had.
In this story the year is 2155 and children are taught at home
by a mechanical teacher, a computer with slots for tests and
homework written in punch codes. "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."
Though written 62 years ago, before cell phones, iPads, laptops,
or computers, this author captured many characteristics of our
present day 2013 educational system.
It makes for a great read especially when a reader discovers how
the characters react to a book, something long forgotten and completely
antiquated.
After reading this short story think about how many similarities you can find between the manner in which children are educated today and that of Asmiov's short story.
Further, Asmiov's short story inspires readers to think about
the implications of learning via a computer, void of a human teacher, and to
question how large a role computers should have. Read one person's account. What do you think?
How has technology impacted our everyday learning, at home and
at school? What are the advantages and disadvantages?
Can you predict what children's education will be like 150 years
from now?
Be Well.
The Teach
PS. Yes, YOU can indeed make that one remarkable difference. As
small as you may think you are- You are not--as insignificant as you believe
yourself to be- You are not-as disliked as you may feel you are--You are not-as
alone as you may be--You are not--You are a gift--you are here to add to this
ever expanding world, to find joy within yourself is a way to do good-- by this, you make yourself treasured; for then all of humanity is treasured.
