"The Fun They Had"

Is the author for or against mechanical teachers? How do you know.

He is most likely against the use of robot teachers because Margie hates her mechanical teacher and wishes she went to the kind of the school that existed in the past.

Describe Tommy.

He is older than Margie a bit of a know-it-all. He makes Margie feel stupid for not knowing about school in the old days.

How are Margie and Tommy accustomed to reading?

On a screen with moving words.

Where was Margie's schoolroom?

Next door to her bedroom

What made Tommy think the book was a "waste"?

Because it was made of paper and it could be thrown out. Also, it only had one story in it that didn't change unlike the telebook that had almost a million stories.

Why did Margie think kids must have loved school in the old days?

Because kids from the whole neighborhood came and had fun, the teachers were people and they could talk about what they were learning because they were learning the same thing.

Why did Margie do badly in geography?

Because the Mechanical Teacher's geography sector was geared too quick.

Why does Margie write in her diary?

Finding the old book was a big deal and had a large impact on her. It was so interested that she wanted to remember this day.

Why did Margie's mother send for the county inspector? What happened as a result?

Margie's mechanical teacher kept giving her the same geography test over and over and Margie was doing worse and worse. The inspector took the teacher apart and slowed it down so it was teaching at a 10 year level.

Describe Margie's teacher

Margie's teacher is a mechanical teacher (a robot). The teacher is supposed to be programmed to her age and learning ability. She inserts her HW into a slot after writing it out in a punch code.

What is the setting?

May 2157; Margie's home

What is ironic about the sentence, "Margie was thinking about how kids must have loved it in the old days."

Most kids today do not like school. Situational irony

What does Margie think is strange about the school from centuries before?

That it was taught by humans, that the kids went to the school instead of the mechanical teacher teaching in the home, she can't believe that human teachers are as smart as mechanical teachers.

What could be a possible theme of this short story?

With advanced technology, our society will become more and more isolated.

Describe the telebook.

televison screen, moving words, has a million books on it

What surprises Margie and Tommy about the old book?

that all the words were printed on paper. When they turned back to a page, it had the same words on it that it had had when they read it the first time.