Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 1 Notes – The Fun They Had | Nextoper

Introduction

Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 1 – The Fun They Had by Isaac Asimov takes readers into the future, where education happens through mechanical teachers instead of human ones. The story begins when Margie, an eleven-year-old girl, writes in her diary on 17 May 2157:

“Today Tommy found a real book!”

It was an old, dusty book that Tommy, her thirteen-year-old friend, discovered in his attic. Its pages were yellow and crinkly, and the words stood still instead of moving the way they did on screens. Interestingly, Margie’s grandfather once said that when he was a little boy, his grandfather told him there was a time when all stories were printed on paper. For both Margie and Tommy, this was a strange discovery because in their world, books existed only on screens.

Thus, the story explores how children in the future live and learn in a completely digital world — one that lacks the warmth of real schools and the joy of learning together.

Theme of the Story

The story beautifully contrasts future education and traditional learning.
Isaac Asimov shows that technology may make life easier; however, it can never replace human connection.

Main ideas include:

• The overdependence on technology in education.

• The loneliness of mechanical learning.

• Curiosity about how joyful schools once were.

• The importance of human teachers and friendship in learning.

When Tommy finds a real book about old schools, Margie becomes fascinated by the idea that students once studied together, helped one another, and had fun. Consequently, the story highlights how learning without emotion or companionship becomes mechanical and dull.

Main Characters

Margie

Margie is an eleven-year-old girl who studies at home using a mechanical teacher. She dislikes her school and says,

“I hate school.”

Her mechanical teacher gives her test after test in geography. As a result, her performance worsens until her mother calls the County Inspector. Margie feels disappointed when the Inspector repairs the machine instead of taking it away.

Traits:

• Curious about the old kind of schools.

• Intelligent but lonely.

• Represents the loss of fun in future education.

Tommy

Tommy, aged thirteen, is more mature and curious. He finds the old, real book in his house attic. Unlike Margie, he knows more about the past and explains that schools once had human teachers.

Key points:

• Says the book is about “the old kind of school they had hundreds and hundreds of years ago.”

• Believes his father knows as much as his teacher.

• Represents curiosity and a bridge between the past and the future.

Mrs. Jones

Margie’s mother, Mrs. Jones, ensures that Margie studies every day at regular hours. She believes that

“little girls learned better if they learned at regular hours.”

Traits:

• Practical and strict.

• Believes in mechanical education.

• Represents parental faith in technology.

The County Inspector

A round little man with a red face and a box full of tools with dials and wires, the County Inspector is kind to Margie and gives her an apple before fixing the mechanical teacher.

Key actions:

• Finds that the geography sector was geared too quick.

• Slows it down to an average ten-year level.

• Says Margie’s progress is quite satisfactory.

He represents technical control and the lack of human warmth in futuristic learning systems.

📖 Summary of the Story

The story begins with Tommy finding a real book, which amazes Margie. The words on paper seem strange to her because they do not move like those on a screen. Tommy explains that when you are through with a book, you throw it away, but their television screens can show millions of books.

Later, when Margie learns that the book is about school, she becomes both curious and confused. She hates her school because of her mechanical teacher, a large black machine with a big screen that teaches her lessons and asks questions. The slot where she inserts homework and test papers irritates her since the teacher calculates her marks instantly, leaving no room for interaction.

The County Inspector’s Visit

One day, Margie’s mother calls the County Inspector to fix the geography section of her teacher because her marks are getting worse. The Inspector examines the machine and says,

“It’s not the little girl’s fault. The geography sector was geared a little too quick.”

Afterward, he slows it down and assures Mrs. Jones that Margie’s progress is satisfactory. Margie feels sad because she had hoped they would take the machine away forever.

Discussion about Old Schools

When Tommy explains that the book is about old-time schools, Margie listens carefully. He says that in the past, teachers were human beings.

“Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”

At first, Margie finds it hard to believe:

“A man isn’t smart enough.”

However, Tommy laughs and tells her that teachers didn’t live in the students’ houses. They had a special building, and all the kids went there together.

Margie’s curiosity grows:

• She wonders if kids loved those old schools.

• She wants to read more of the book with Tommy.

• She says she didn’t mean she didn’t like the idea — she just wanted to understand it.

Margie’s Daily Routine

A little later, Margie’s mother calls her,

“Margie! School!”
She tries to delay it, but Mrs. Jones insists. Tommy walks away whistling, with the dusty book tucked beneath his arm.

Margie goes to her schoolroom, right next to her bedroom, where the mechanical teacher waits. The screen lights up with the message:

“Today’s arithmetic lesson is on the addition of proper fractions. Please insert yesterday’s homework in the proper slot.”

Sighing, she follows her routine. Yet, her mind wanders back to the book and the schools of the past.

Old Schools vs. Future Schools

As Margie imagines the past, she sees a vivid picture in her mind:

“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, helped one another with homework, and enjoyed the presence of real human teachers. This image stands in sharp contrast to her lonely world, where learning is limited to a computer screen.

Difference between the two worlds:

Gradually, Margie realizes that old schools must have been full of joy. Therefore, the title of the story — The Fun They Had — captures her longing for a kind of learning that is now lost.

Conclusion

While the mechanical teacher flashes lessons on the screen, Margie keeps thinking about the old schools. She imagines how happy children must have been when they studied together, laughed, played, and learned from real teachers.

“She was thinking about how the kids must have loved it in the old days. She was thinking about the fun they had.”

Through Margie’s eyes, Isaac Asimov highlights the emotional emptiness of future education. Moreover, the story reminds readers that true learning comes not just from machines or screens but from shared experiences and human connection.

About the Author – Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov (1920–1992) was an American author and professor of biochemistry, best known for his works of science fiction. His story The Fun They Had imagines a world of digital learning and mechanical teachers. Using simple futuristic imagery, Asimov contrasts human warmth with machine precision, reminding readers never to lose the “fun” of learning.

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