They laughed, saying those days were long gone.
I guess since they had children, they were up on all the current modes of education.
When I was in school, I thought we were high-tech when calculators came out on the open market.
A sign of the times, I suppose.
A few years later, I was a freshman in college, and I found myself going to the school's library to look up some information.
About two buildings from the library, I bumped into some classmates of mine and when I told them that I was going to the library to use the antiquated form of research - the card catalog - they gave the "what planet are you from" look.
Without missing a beat, they all suggested I try the Internet.
It seemed that technology had crept into the schools while I was looking in the other direction.
At Pine Forest Senior High in Fayetteville, N.C., I remember when they first brought a computer into the school. I recall the school having to knock out a wall in a back room because the hard drive was so large, it needed two rooms to be stored.
I'm exaggerating here.
Needless to say, those were the days of typing class I and II. It was even before correction tape, you know, where you could backspace and white out the letter, was used.
Well, it took me a while to get use to this new way of learning. I still felt like I needed to go the library to do my research, but soon, the ease of the Internet won out.
Although, while in college, I had an American Literature teacher who still felt penmanship was a lost art. In fact, Mrs. Wiggins wouldn't allow anyone in the class to turn in typed reports. Everything had to be handwritten. I remember she showed us a picture of an ink pen encased in glass. She said this form of communication would someday be in a museum.
But as with everything in life, things evolve.
The other day, I was thumbing through different pamphlets talking about the Jessamine Career and Technology Center.
Reading through all of this almost makes me wish I could go back and redo high school ... almost.
From the material I've read, students can now learn about careers in information technology, financial services, pre-engineering and emergency medical technician.
Where were these classes in the 1980s?
I recall having a couple classes in high school where they taught you how to dressed for a job interview and fill out applications, but to my recollection, there were no career-based classes. Sure, we'd have career day when students, mostly upperclassmen, would flock to the library to see the different booths.
But that was about it.
But looking through these pamphlets, I'm flabbergasted on how much the education system as a whole has improved in my 19 years out of high school.
Don't get me wrong. Looking back on it, the teachers in the 1980s did a wonderful job, but advances have done wonders.
