Isaac Asimov（1920-1992）是美國猶太裔作家及科學家，擅長寫科幻小說。

西元二一五五年五月十七日，十一歲的Margie在日記上寫著：「Tommy今天發現了一本真正的書。」這本書很舊，紙已經泛黃皺褶，翻到後面時，居然還可以隨時看到前面的文字，不像Margie的電子書，螢幕一閃課程內容換掉了。更不可思議的是，Tommy告訴她這本舊書竟然是在談論學校的事。Margie說：「學校有什麼好談的？我最討厭學校了。」Margie的機器人老師（學校）反覆地測驗她地理，她卻愈考愈差，媽媽難過地請督察來。
Margie always hated school, but now she hated it more than ever. The mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography and she had been doing worse and worse until her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully and sent for the County Inspector.

督察帶著工具箱，裡面裝著許多轉鈕和電線，他拆開機器人，Margie暗地裡希望督察沒辦法再重新組裝它，但一小時後，醜陋的黑色大螢幕上再度顯示出課文及題目。Margie還滿喜歡讀電子書和回答問題，她最痛恨的是只要她鍵入個人密碼，機器人老師就立即計算作業及考卷的成績，從六歲至今一直都如此。
After an hour or so, there it was again, large and black and ugly with a big screen on which all the lessons were shown and the questions were asked. That wasn't so bad. The part she hated most was the slot where she had to put homework and test papers. She always had to write them out in a punch code they made her learn when she was six years old, and the mechanical teacher calculated the mark in no time.

督察說問題解決了，機器人把地理課程設定得太難，他已經調整為十歲的程度。有一次Tommy的電子書出了問題，督察必須把機器人從他家搬走，Tommy一個月都不用上課，真是太好了！Margie很渴望知道書上的學校是什麼樣子？Tommy說：「幾百年前，是真人當老師，他會出作業和考卷給學生寫。」Margie說：「我才不要陌生人在我家教我。」Tommy大笑：「老師是在學校的教室裡教同年齡的孩子。」Margie好想讀讀這本舊書，內容真有趣，但是媽媽說上課時間到了，Margie無奈地走進臥室旁的教室，螢幕上顯示：「今天算術教真分數的相加，請將昨天的作業交上。」
Margie went into the schoolroom. It was right next to her bedroom, and the mechanical teacher was on and waiting for her. The screen was lit up, and it said: "Today's arithmetic lesson is on the addition of proper fractions. Please insert yesterday's homework in the proper slot"

Margie盯著螢幕：「1/2加1/4」，心中卻想著以前的小孩到學校，大家一塊在操場玩耍，一塊坐在教室上課，放學回家後還可以一起寫作業和討論功課，以前的小孩在學校一定充滿了樂趣。
All the kids from the whole neighborhood came, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard, sitting together in the schoolroom, going home together at the end of the day. They learned the same things so they could help one another on the homework and talk about it. Margie was thinking about how the kids must have loved it in the old days. She was thinking about the fun they had.