Page 5 - LESSON NOTES The Fun They Had

(iii) What is it contrasted with?
Ans.The mechanical teacher is contrasted with a human teacher.
Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).
1. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
Ans. Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. They were computers which had preloaded lessons
on different subjects according to the learner’s level. Whenever they malfunctioned, they were opened
and repaired.
2. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
Ans. Margie’s mother called the County Inspector to check Margie’s teacher. She thought that probably,
Margie’s teacher had a malfunction. Margie was failing the Geography tests repeatedly which could be
due to a fault in the teacher.
3. What did he do?
Ans. The County Inspector was trained to repair the computer teacher. He opened the machine and
checked it. The Geography sector was set on a higher level. He reset it to Margie’s level and closed the
teacher.
Think and Answer
1. What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and
Tommy have in the story?
Ans. Margie and Tommy were taught by mechanical teachers. They had large black screens on which the
lessons appeared. The lessons were followed by questions. The students had to insert homework and
test papers in the slots provided. They had to write down the work in a punch code which was a
computing language. The mechanical teacher checked the papers and gave them marks within a few
seconds. These classrooms were in the student’s home itself. Every student studied from his respective
mechanical teacher. Each teacher was adjusted according to the level of the learner. They did not have
classmates. They studied various subjects like Geography, History and Mathematics. Margie studied
everyday at the same time except Saturdays and Sundays. Her mother said that she would learn better
if she studied that way. The learning process was mechanical, dull and boring for them.
2. Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun
Ans. Margie hated school because it was not fun. There was a mechanical teacher and the learning
process lacked life. It was like a machine carrying out the usual working, there was nothing new, no fun
or laughter. Margie’s mechanical teacher was giving her tests in Geography and she was performing bad
at them. Later it was discovered that the teacher had developed a fault due to which it was giving her
tests of a higher level. Margie’s mother called the County Inspector. He opened the teacher, found the
fault and rectified it. Margie disliked the teacher and hoped that he would not be able to repair it. She
hated inserting the homework and test papers into the slot provided.
She thought that the children in the past must have had a lot of fun when they went to school with fellow
children. She found it amazing that all the children studied together, the same things and could discuss
studies and help each other with the homework too. As the teachers were people, they would not
behave like machines. The human aspect of education in the past made her feel that the school of the
past were fun.

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