Do people still use chalkboards? I'm old enough to remember black and grey and green dusty boards never quite clear of yesterday or the last class's notes but young enough to have had the wonderful duty of wiping clear the markerboard with those furry little rectangles that magically erased an hour's worth of notes with a second's fell swoop of a swipe. Then came projectors first those printed slides that always took Mr. Scott minutes to straighten perfectly which he continued to do even after most of the rest of the class--so tired of the fiddling that they were willing to start class a few minutes earlier just so he'd stop--moaned it's fine Mr. Scott it's fine. I think he had OCD too.
Now everything comes from the computer, professors clicking from one slide to the next, lecture halls devoid of the familiar scratch of chalk on the board. Sure no one complains 'Ms. Jackson I can't read that word on the end' 'Which one?' 'The one right after In 1992 the United States that one' 'Oh I see. It's supposed to be 'Cuban Missile Crisis'... wait. Cuban... Mission... Christ, Sam do you remember what that is?' Sam squinted for a bit craned his head a little bit this way unsquinted then squinted again before finally raising his hands in defeat.
We never figured it out it wasn't Cuban Missile Crisis we didn't bring that up once in our million tangential routes but for the life of us we couldn't not even the kids who took notes I suppose they were too shy at the time and didn't raise their hands to ask and by this time it was too late.
No more "Christ, Sam do you remember what that is' is efficient I suppose, but its a bit sad as well, for me for you for us who remember and for those who don't, tomorrow's classroom children, typing away never knowing what they've missed.
Now everything comes from the computer, professors clicking from one slide to the next, lecture halls devoid of the familiar scratch of chalk on the board. Sure no one complains 'Ms. Jackson I can't read that word on the end' 'Which one?' 'The one right after In 1992 the United States that one' 'Oh I see. It's supposed to be 'Cuban Missile Crisis'... wait. Cuban... Mission... Christ, Sam do you remember what that is?' Sam squinted for a bit craned his head a little bit this way unsquinted then squinted again before finally raising his hands in defeat.
We never figured it out it wasn't Cuban Missile Crisis we didn't bring that up once in our million tangential routes but for the life of us we couldn't not even the kids who took notes I suppose they were too shy at the time and didn't raise their hands to ask and by this time it was too late.
No more "Christ, Sam do you remember what that is' is efficient I suppose, but its a bit sad as well, for me for you for us who remember and for those who don't, tomorrow's classroom children, typing away never knowing what they've missed.
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