What if we’d listened?

Students today can't prepare bark to calculate their problems. They depend on their slates

which are more expensive. What will they do when the slate is dropped and it breaks? They

will be unable to write!

Teachers' Conference1703

Students today depend on paper too much. They don't know how to write on a slate without getting chalk

dust all over themselves. They can't clean a slate properly. What will they do when they run out of

paper?

Principal's Association1815

Students today depend too much on ink. They don't know how to use a pen knife to sharpen a pencil.

Pen and ink will never replace the pencil.

National Association of American Teachers

1907

Students today depend on expensive fountain pens, they can no longer write with a straight pen. We

parents must not allow children to wallow in such luxury to the detriment of learning to cope in the real business world which is not so extravagant!

Parent Teachers Association Gazette1941

Ballpoint pens will be the ruin of the country - students use these and then throw them away!

Business and banks will never allow such expensive luxuries

US Federal Teachers meeting1950

You can't let children use calculators on the test ... if you do that you wouldn't ever learn how to use the

tables in the back of the book and the skill of interpolation to figure out your trig ratios

Secondary School Mathematics Teacher1980

We can't let them use calculators in Year 7 - if we do they will not be able to multiple three digit

numbers by 3 digit numbers ... what will they do when they do not have access to a calculator?

Middle School Teacher1989

Why would you want the internet for school use? It's just a fad .. let them use the library.

Local Authority Support Officer1995

Teachers will never use email.

Teacher on an LA committee1996

Why would I want to put school stuff on the web? Who is going to look at it?

Governor in a secondary school2005

Why are we talking about students having laptops in schools? I don't think that most parents will give

their kids their old computer let alone buy them a new one

Teacher2007

All phones, ipods and other electronic or mobile devices are banned in school and will be confiscated

if being used in class.

The vast majority of schools' behaviour policy documents

2010-11

Section 550ZC (power to seize items found during search) ... apply to an item that ... is an electronic device

... the person who seized the item may examine any data or files on the device ... if the person has decided

to return the item to its owner, retain it or dispose of it, the person may erase any data or files from the device.

The 2011 Education Act

What if we listened ...