Summary, character sketches, themes, and analysis of Isaac Asimov's vision of future education.
"The Fun They Had" is a science fiction story written by Isaac Asimov. It is set in the future, specifically May 17, 2157. The story contrasts the future computerized school system with the traditional school system of the past (our present time).
Imagine a world where there are no classrooms, no human teachers, and no classmates. You sit alone in front of a computer screen in your bedroom to learn. This story explores whether technology can truly replace the social aspect and "fun" of a traditional school.
• Age: 11 years old.
• Personality: Curious, naive, and dislikes her
current mechanical schooling method.
• Role: She keeps a diary (dated May 17, 2157)
recording the discovery of a "real book." She longs for the old
kind of schools where children played and learned together.
• Age: 13 years old.
• Personality: Superior attitude (because he is
older), knowledgeable about the "old days" (compared to Margie).
• Role: He finds the real book in his attic and
explains to Margie how schools functioned centuries ago.
A large, black, and ugly television screen that flashes lessons and questions. It has a special slot where students must punch in their homework and test papers. It adjusts its level according to the age of the student.
A round little man with a red face and a box of tools with dials and wires. He is a mechanic who comes to fix the Mechanical Teacher when it malfunctions (like when Margie's geography sector was geared too quick).
| Old School (The Past) | Future School (2157 A.D.) |
|---|---|
| A special building where all kids went. | A room right next to the bedroom. |
| Teachers were human beings (men/women). | Teachers are mechanical robots/computers. |
| Students of same age learned same things. | Teacher is adjusted to fit the mind of each boy/girl. |
| Kids learned, played, and shouted together. | Kids learn individually in isolation. |
| Books were printed on paper (yellow/crinkly). | Telebooks appear on television screens. |
Margie hated school because it was mechanical, boring, and repetitive. She had to sit alone in front of a machine. Her hatred increased when the mechanical teacher kept giving her geography tests, and she kept performing poorly. She hoped the Inspector would take the teacher away, but he fixed it quickly.
Answer: Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. They were large, black screens on which lessons were shown and questions were asked. These teachers were kept at home, and they had a slot where students had to put their homework and test papers.
Answer: Margie had been given test after test in geography by the mechanical teacher, and she had been doing worse and worse. Her mother was worried that there was a fault with the machine or Margie, so she sent for the County Inspector to check it.
Answer: The Inspector smiled at Margie and gave her an apple. He took the teacher apart. He found that the geography sector was geared a little too quick for an average 10-year-old. He slowed it down to an average 10-year level and reassembled the teacher.
Answer: The book was very old. Its pages were yellow and crinkly. It was awfully funny for them to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to on a screen. Also, when they turned back to the previous page, it had the same words on it that it had when they read it the first time.
"Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn't a regular teacher. It
was a man."
a) Who is the speaker?
Tommy is the speaker.
b) What does 'regular' mean here?
Here, 'regular' refers to the mechanical teacher that Tommy and
Margie are used to.
c) Why is it surprising that it was a man?
In their time (2157), teachers are machines. They cannot imagine a
human being smart enough to teach.