Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine

    Here I go again, fascinated with forgotten books. Written in 1958, read in 1988 (when I was in 4^th grade) and no longer read by kids of any age, this book sits on the ash heap of literature. Maybe it’s been replaced by more “relevant” books (like the Hunger Games) or maybe this Eisenhower-era science fiction book is of little interest to the sex-obsessed youngsters of our time? Or maybe the book’s fantasy plot – kids using a machine to do their homework – is dated now, since all kids are downloading their homework. But there is something in the story that’s relevant now even to today’s audiences; all kids hate homework!

   In the first scene, Danny and Joe (aged about 12) are looking for ways to do both of their math homework assignments at the same time, and then they’re finding ways to make the two handwritings look less similar. As the book progresses, they come across a machine that can do the homework for them, then they get caught, and then the teacher looks for ways to outsmart them. Back in the 1950’s, I’m sure the lesson for kids was that you should always shut up, do your work, and listen to the grownups. But in this day and age, I’m not sure if that’s right.

   Look at today’s kids; they spend all day learning to take exams, and they have no outdoor recess, which is why they can’t sit still or pay attention. When you ask the principal why there’s no outdoor recess, she’ll say “it cuts into the time we need to spend learning for the exams.” I’ve seen 4^th graders who can’t even do current events or book reports, and when I ask the stressed-out teacher why, she’ll say “we have to prepare for the state exams.” Then there’s the homework that loads the kids down, and keep in mind that this is after a long school day with boring work, bad food, and no recess.

    I find Danny’s homework machine hijinks relevant today because the boys in the story are not lazy. They’re not looking to shirk their schoolwork so they can watch TV (there wasn’t much to watch at the time) or surf the web (didn’t exist.) They want to do healthy things, like play ball, ride bikes, fly kites, read their books, do their own science experiments. They want to do the kind of things that boys their age should do, and homework gets in the way. Think of it in terms of your job; if you spend all day in an office doing paperwork, do you want to spend the evenings at home practicing how to do the paperwork?

   I wonder sometimes, are we demanding that our children do things that we don’t have to do? That we don’t want to do? That we hated doing when we were young?