The Fun They Had

"Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is." Issac Asimov

Students in India often find it hard to relate to the theme of the short story, ‘The Fun They Had’. The story is set in the year 2157 wherein children learn at their own pace, at home. They are taught by a mechanical teacher. In the wake of COVID19 lockdown, children are restricted to their homes. They are taught by their teachers through Teleconferencing Applications. Teachers also send them videos and PowerPoint Presentations through WhatsApp. ‘The Fun They Had’, revolves around two children Margie and Tommy. Tommy finds a ‘real’ book in the attic of his house. The kids find it hard to accept that children could actually learn from a book which does not move! Initially, when I asked my students to download, e-books from NCERT’s website, they felt very uncomfortable. Especially, the younger ones. ‘Will we not get real books?’, they wrote on WhatsApp. The book in the story, informs the two children about a time in history when children used to go to school, to learn. It is very difficult for them to understand that the children in the past had a ‘human’ teacher! Some of my students were initially unable to understand how they could learn without a teacher. Now they are slowly getting used to it. Margie and Tommy have no idea about learning in a group. Margie is totally bored with her way of learning and yearns for a life where she could meet children of her age and learn like that. The present situation has helped children understand the importance of going to school. A place where they get to socialize. Where they learn from each other. Where they get to clarify their individual doubts. Where they get an opportunity to indulge in team activities, sports and games. School is a very important social unit which trains children for productive social existence. I hope the concept of ‘school’ as it exists now, remains and thrives and the children living in 2157 are not forced to lament, ‘The Fun they had’.