Timothy woke up with a start, his alarm clock ringing. Pressing the top, he stopped the bells from going off, then he sat up, peering around the dark room. Suddenly his eyes widened, and he sprung from his bed. Hurrying to get dressed, he checked his wall calendar to make sure the date was correct.
September 5th, 2000, Education Day.
Hurrying downstairs, Timothy grabbed a piece of toast and hurried out to his carriage. His saddlebag was packed for the day, and he led his horse out of his stable and strapped the saddle to his back. Hoping on, he rode down the street to the schoolhouse. He had been selected as an operator for the younger class for the first time this year, meaning he would be working in the classroom until it was time for him to join his classmates in the desks.
Arriving at the schoolhouse, he tied his horse to one of the posts and took his bag out. Entering the school building, he set it down on the table and went to the left side of the room.
A large pile of schoolbooks was lined up against the wall next to the Educator. The massive machine took up most of the right side of the one-roomed building. Attached to the ceiling and to the headphones at each desk by thin black wires. A large funnel led into a metal box with a crank on one side, all powered by a thick black wire and a massive lever. The crank was Timothy’s job. Throughout the day, he will be processing the books as they enter the Educator and make their way to the headphones.
“Ah, Mr. Wright, thank you for being so prompt.” Said the Teacher as he entered the room, “Happy Education Day.”
“Thank you, sir,” Timothy said. The Teacher took his place near the Educator’s funnel as Students started coming in. The youngest was first entering kindergarten. The Teacher separated four small books from the pile as the parents sat the young boys and girls down in the desks and put the headphones over their little ears.
“Mr. Wright, if you’d please.” The Teacher said.
Timothy grabbed the crank and began turning it, the heavy metal rod slowly started rotating, and you could hear the gears of the Educator begin to turn. Eventually, he got into a groove and picked up speed. A small ding came from the machine, and the Teacher began his work. Picking up the four books, he dropped them into the funnel, causing a buzzing sound to emit from the machine. The small children winced a little as all the knowledge they needed for the year began being pumped into their heads through the headphones. Timothy continued to crank until another small ding was heard by the machine, slowing to a stop. He watched the parents pick up their children and leave the room.
The process repeated eight more times, with the Teacher putting more and more books of larger and larger size into the Educator each time. When the 8th graders left, he sat down and rested for a second.
“Thank you for your help, Mr. Wright.” The Teacher said. Timothy nodded and then took his seat at the desks as his classmates came in. Another boy came in to crank the Educator as the Teacher prepped the 9th grader’s books.
Putting his headphones on, he just managed to hear the Educator start up again. Keeping his head straight to prevent the wires from twisting, he braced himself.
Suddenly a whole year’s worth of information began to be pushed into his head, Math concepts blared in his left ear while language classes shouted in his left, History, Science, Art, Music, all the classes he had signed up for was pushed into his mind in a few mere seconds. A splitting headache shot through his skull as the information slowed to a stop.
“Thank you all for coming to Education Day.” The Teacher said, “I’ll see you next year for 10th grade!”
Timothy stood with his classmates and stumbled out of the schoolhouse. His parents were there with a small carriage, his father leading his horse. The boy collapsed into the carriage and shut his eyes.
It had been a long and successful day of education.
Will Fall Writings 