ג'ון ספנסר, בדמות של טום ג'ונסון, המורה של סוף המאה ה-19 שמתנסה בשימוש בעפרונות (אצל כל ילד, לא פחות!) בכיתה שלו, נתקל בתלמיד שכותב שבית הספר משעממם, וכותב לו מכתב (למגירה, לא לפרסום) שבו הוא מגיב, ובהמשך מהרהר לעצמו:
| I once viewed pencils as a magical talisman that would transform every student into a self-motivated learner. I believed that the Pencil Natives would grab hold of a pencil and start creating amazing works of poetry and narrative. I thought that the simple existence of paper would mean clarity of thought, critical thinking and logic in persuasive writing. It worked for a day or two, but eventually the pencil novelty wore off and students realized that they were working with tools. Looking back on it, I was no different than the students. I confused novelty and fun with meaning and depth. I'd like to think I know better now, but a "that's boring" comment can apparently still throw me over the edge. sorry kiddos, but pencils aren't always fun |
וכמובן שאין חדש תחת השמש.
