Kids have not really changed. They still get bored easily, nervous about tests, fearful they might look silly.  They still are playful, get the giggles, study too late or too little for a quiz. They still lose things, drop things, break things and they still discover how to print, figure out the number system, learn to read.  They still have to be taught to throw a ball, to tie a shoelace and to jump the hurdles of registering for courses.

They still worry if their clothes look right, want to be popular, would like to have an adult life with enough money and a good career and happy homes.  They still feel hurt if excluded, frustrated if overworked, offended if treated unjustly.

Today like a hundred years ago they play baseball, skip rope, play tag and hide and seek.  They still make mistakes, try the wrong way before the right way sometimes, and they learn.

A lot is said about how computers revolutionize education, how Smart boards and IPads revolutionize writing and teaching and they have. But kids still respond most to one on one personal interaction.  They become blasé at technology, not in awe at movies or websites unless they are outstanding.  Adults may find new technology game-changing but for kids it is now same-old, same-old. They still want people time, someone to care about them, someone to patiently and not robotically walk them through how a math question works, how a science principle works, how a musical instrument is played.  People still need people.

When we see moves to fund technology more, to put tests on computer, to have virtual field trips, to have exams marked without the touch of a human hand, we must not forget that those are  not the be all and end of all of education.  What made early schools stand out in the memory of students was the  people there who touched their lives.

They remember  books and lessons, yes, but recall best the  things they did, not things they just watched, the events, actions, people.

The halls of learning still have to be halls for the creative mind, to give a good start.