Going old school

Sometimes when I'm driving to work, and of course when T isn't in the car because he'd mock me, I listen to K-Love.  I used to roll my eyes at the mention of Christian music, but I've started listening to it just to get a little inspiration.  Plus, it's calming, and when Aubrey is able to talk more clearly, I'd rather not have to worry about her singing about Taylor Swift's most recent breakup or God knows what.  Of course, she is starting to mimic noises so I'm best to play it safe. 

 

 

Anyway, that isn't the point I was wanting to make.  The morning hosts were talking about how some high schools are going back to having students use typewriters.  The reason for this was that students would be more careful when they type and not make mistakes. (Remember the correction tape?) and would focus since they wouldn't have access to the Internet.  I, personally, think this could possibly be a good idea.  I was the last class in my high school to taking typing as a class and do it on a typewriter.  It was an electronic typewriter, mind you, but still...we had to feed in the paper, mark the margins, and for the entirety of the class we worked on letters, memos, etc.  I hated the correction tape.  I'm a fast typer, but I tend to make a lot of mistakes.  You would get a mark for each time you used correction tape, and honestly, there were times when I got F's because I had to use too much tape.  I was a straight A, honor student, and I got F's in typing.  You had to finish a certain number of assignments during the 45 minutes we had class, so there was always that sense of urgency.  Plus I tend to stress out in general when given a timeline like that.  So I made mistakes.  But it did make me have to really watch what I was doing.  So I can see the benefit to this. 

 

 

The part about less distractions is also true, too.  Who hasn't started working on something only to switch over to the Internet to just waste time?  I know I'm probably an extreme case of this with my short attention span, but kids do the same thing.  Working on a typewriter would make someone have to really focus on the job they are doing.  I don't know...I guess I can see good and bad to it, though.  Because it doesn't really teach them how to use the latest software so it is kind of antiquated.  But the meaning behind it is good, in theory.

 

 

It's hilarious because when I tell T that I learned to type on a typewriter he immediately laughs.  His family was one of those first ones that had a computer in the home, and he went to a private school that had computers.  I guess our school was just one year behind his or what not.  Who knows?  The two staff attorneys in my office who are about 5 years  younger than me think this is hilarious, too, and I get lots of "man, you are OLD!" comments.  (I am NOT old, by the way.  Thirty-two is the new twenty-two, right?)  But just hearing that story this morning made me reminisce because that's exactly how life was like when I was in ninth grade.  I wonder what schools are actually doing this.  I mean, don't most classrooms now let kids have iPads anyway?  My 10 year old niece and nephew could probably school me on what they know with the computer.  Maybe I am old....I mean my sophomore year I did take a spreadsheet class called Lotus 123 (I had a hard time with errors in that class, too.).  I'm not even sure that software is around.  I can use Excel but only to the point where I can do simple tasks.  I'm nowhere as experienced at it as T.  But I'm an attorney.  What do I need with Excel anyway? 

 

So what do you think of this "revolutionary" idea?  Think maybe this is sparking a movement?  Maybe they'll bring back cassette tapes.  I mean, back in college I did have to use cassette tapes for Spanish class.  God, I AM old.