After writing my last post, I recalled an excerpt from a book that I had recently read. I dug through the book today and located the section that I had previously found so humorous. (I need all the humor I can get this week since I’m not in beautiful San Diego attending ISTE with friends and colleagues!) The following list can be found in Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology by Collins and Halverson (pg. 30). Their list highlights the many examples of how education has been very resistant to change.
- From a principal’s publication in 1815: “Students today depend on paper too much. They don’t know how to write on a slate without getting chalk dust all over themselves. They can’t clean a slate properly. What will they do when they run out of paper?”
- From the journal of the National Association of Teachers, 1907: “Students today depend too much upon ink. They don’t know how to use a pen knife to sharpen a pencil. Pen and ink will never replace the pencil.”
- From Rural American Teacher, 1928: “Students today depend upon store bought ink. They don’t know how to make their own. When they run out of ink they will be unable to write words or ciphers until their next trip to the settlement. This is a sad commentary on modern education.”
- From Federal Teachers, 1950: “Ballpoint pens will be the ruin of education in our country. Students use these devices and then throw them away. The American values of thrift and frugality are being discarded. Businesses and banks will never allow such expensive luxuries.”
- From a science fair judge in Apple Classroom of Tomorrow chronicles, 1988: “Computers give students an unfair advantage. Therefore, students who used computers to analyze data or create displays will be eliminated from the science fair.”
Photo credit: Sandor on Flickr
I read this list and wonder how future educators will view our resistance to change. How will they view our adherence to seat time rather than competency based instruction? How will they view our rigid school schedule? How will they view our assessment system that uses letter grades? This list could go on and on, but it becomes evident quickly when reflecting on our system that we do many things that don’t make much sense other than to stay in line with the current system.
Nick Sauers
When in elementary, I remember papers being torn up because they were written with a ball point pen.
Change, even needed change happens so slow in education.
I remember being very excited when teachers “allowed” us to use a pen!
So true! I actually have colleagues who chastised me for adopting an electronic grade book without adequately protesting, through the union, this undue “change in working conditions”! My reply? Why would I complain about a change for the better?.
That story highlights how difficult it is for people and organizations to change. It is no surprise it it truly difficult to change the way that our schools function.
I was not allowed to use a cartridge pen in Year 5. Our teacher insisted we use fountain pens as the filling and maintenance of a fountain pen was a necessary life skill (which I have long since forgotten but guess could relearn pretty quickly should the need arise)
Great stuff. Something very close to my heart.
http://stevehoward999.wordpress.com/2012/07/14/the-ruin-of-education-in-our-country-a-positive-thing/
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Those quotes are amusing, but obviously fake.
Dave,
I certainly haven’t went back to check the primary sources of these quotes, but I do have a great deal of respect for the authors of the book. Dr. Halverson and Dr. Collins are both EXTREMELY well respected faculty members at top universities. These quotes are also to other similar quotes about technology that I have previously read. They seem silly to us when we look back on them, but they weren’t so strange at the time they were made. Anything in particular that makes you think they are fake?
Nick
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