Margie is eleven and Tommy is thirteen years old.

Margie wrote, “Today Tommy found a real book!”

No, Margie had never seen a book before.

She found it strange that the words stood still instead of moving on a screen. Also, when they turned back to the page before, it had the same words on it as it had when they read it the first time.

A telebook is a book that can be displayed on a television screen. The text can move, and the device can store millions of such books.

Margie’s school was right next to her bedroom. She did not have any classmates; she studied alone with her mechanical teacher.

Margie and Tommy learned Geography, History, and Arithmetic.

(i) Who says these words?
Tommy says these words.

(ii) What does ‘it’ refer to?
‘It’ refers to the television screen (which contains millions of telebooks).

(iii) What is it being compared with by the speaker?
It is being compared with the real printed book that Tommy found.

(i) Who does ‘they’ refer to?
‘They’ refers to the students of the old times (centuries ago).

(ii) What does ‘regular’ mean here?
Here, ‘regular’ refers to the mechanical teacher (robot) that Margie and Tommy are used to.

(iii) What is it contrasted with?
The mechanical teacher is contrasted with a human teacher (a man).

Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. They were large, black, and ugly machines with big screens on which all the lessons were shown and questions were asked. They had a special slot where students had to put their homework and test papers.

Margie had been doing worse and worse in her Geography tests. Her mother was worried that there might be a fault with the mechanical teacher, so she sent for the County Inspector to check and repair it.

The County Inspector took the mechanical teacher apart. He found that the Geography sector was geared a little too quick. He slowed it up to an average ten-year level and reassembled the teacher.

Margie was doing badly because the geography sector of the mechanical teacher was adjusted too fast for her age. The County Inspector slowed down the sector to fit the mental level of an average ten-year-old.

Once, the history sector of Tommy’s teacher had blanked out completely. Because of this malfunction, his mechanical teacher had been taken away for nearly a month for repairs.

Yes, Margie had regular days and hours for school, except Saturday and Sunday. This was because her mother believed that little girls learned better if they learned at regular hours.

Tommy describes the old school as a special building where all the kids from the neighborhood went. They laughed and shouted in the schoolyard, sat together in the schoolroom, and learned the same things together.

He says the old kind of teachers were men (human beings). They didn’t live in the house with the students. Instead, they went to the special school building, gave the boys and girls homework, and asked them questions.

Margie and Tommy have mechanical teachers which are large, black machines with big screens. They are computerized and programmed to teach various subjects according to the age and learning level of the student. These teachers have a slot where students must insert their homework and test papers written in a punch code. The machine calculates the marks immediately.

Their schoolrooms are located within their own homes, usually right next to their bedrooms. It is a solitary learning environment where only the individual student interacts with the machine. There are no classmates to study or play with. The school is open every day at the same time, except for weekends, enforcing a strict, isolated routine.

Margie hated school because it was mechanical, boring, and lonely. She disliked her mechanical teacher, especially the slot where she had to put her homework. Recently, she had been hating it even more because she was performing poorly in her geography tests due to a fault in the machine, which resulted in her mother shaking her head sorrowfully.

She thought the old kind of school must have been fun because all the kids from the neighborhood came together. They laughed and shouted in the schoolyard, sat together in the classroom, and went home together. They learned the same things, so they could help one another with the homework and talk about it. The idea of having a human teacher and being with friends made her feel that the old schools were much livelier and more enjoyable than her solitary mechanical school.

Yes, I agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school in the story.

First, schools today provide a social environment. Students interact, play, and make friends, which helps in emotional and social development. In the story, Margie’s school is isolated and lonely, which can be depressing for a child.

Second, a human teacher can understand the emotions and specific difficulties of a student better than a machine. A human can motivate, encourage, and adapt teaching styles dynamically, whereas a mechanical teacher simply follows a programmed algorithm. The shared experience of learning, participating in activities, and discussing lessons with classmates makes learning engaging and less monotonous compared to staring at a screen alone.

Margie’s Diary Date: May 17, 2157
Current Date: January 28, 2026

Calculation:
Years: $2157 – 2026 = 131$ years.
Months (approx): From January to May is roughly 4 months.

Answer: Margie’s diary entry is approximately 131 years and 4 months ahead of today.

Viewpoint: FOR the motion

In my opinion, the schools of the future will indeed have no paper books and human teachers. With the rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence, mechanical teachers will become more efficient than humans. They can contain the knowledge of millions of books and adapt instantly to a student’s pace. I wholeheartedly support the view that “telebooks” will save paper and save the environment. Why cut trees for books when a screen can hold a library?

Viewpoint: AGAINST the motion

I firmly reject the idea that machines can replace teachers. A teacher is not just a source of data; they are mentors who understand emotions, motivate students, and teach values. My worthy opponent mentioned efficiency, but what about empathy? Furthermore, reading from a screen causes eye strain. The feel of a physical book and the bond with a human teacher are irreplaceable components of true education.