Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt Read Free Book Online

not to.”
“Is this some new homework cop-out?” Mr. Hanover glances back into the classroom. The buzz inside is quiet—everyone isalready online working on their Industrial Revolution projects. We had to choose an industry like steel or cotton and build a mill and hire workers, all virtually. Jeremy, big surprise, is already the tycoon of the project—we have the cleanest working conditions and greatest growth. I wonder if he’s duplicated BubbleYum in our project. She’s probably his secretary. “I don’t think you even have much more work to do on it. Your partner has been so dedicated.”
“No. I just … I can’t do this assignment. At all.”
“Do you need a new computer?” I look of realization spreads across Mr. Hanover’s wrinkled face. “Ah, or a new partner?”
“No, it’s not about my partner. Bottom line is I am morally opposed to using the Internet in any capacity. It’s a deep personal belief, and I would like an alternative assignment.” I swallow. “Please.”
“I don’t think that’s enough of a reason to let you out of this.” Mr. Hanover is quiet but firm. It’s a big deal that we got these computers. Mr. Hanover had to apply for a million grants and change his whole curriculum after years of teaching to fit in the technology-heavy unit. And I so wanted to take this class—the entire junior class did—and not just because of the projects. Mr. Hanover is interesting, funny, and fair. He’s that teacher who will have a book dedicated to him someday by a former student. “You knew when you signed up for the class that most of this unit involves the Internet.”
I feel close to tears. When I made my oath, I didn’t think about schoolwork or other justified reasons to use technology. I don’t think NASA should pull every satellite out of the skythat’s monitoring … whatever the satellites monitor. This isn’t a crusade for everyone, just my personal battle. “Can I write a report instead, or make a stick model of our mill or … oh! Trains were big then, I can bring in a train set my dad just found and, uh, tweak it to fit the right century.”
“If I give you an alternative assignment,” Mr. Hanover says calmly, “where are you going to get your research?”
“Books. Remember, those things we used before Wikipedia?”
“Mallory—”
“It’s history, not computer science. I’m being historical. And I promise you, Mr. Hanover, there is a really noble and sane reason why I can’t do this.”
There’s laughter and yelling in the class. Mr. Hanover pops his head in and with one frown the class quiets. He cuts me a hesitant glance. “Fine. We’ll keep it simple. Write a paper on how the Industrial Revolution shaped modern society. Four pages—”
“Four?”
“Five.” Mr. Hanover barks a laugh. “I’m giving you a break. Take it and be grateful.”
I think of Jeremy. I can’t take a whole semester of sniffing his delicious sniffiness. “Sorry. I am grateful. Thank you.”
“I want that typed, of course. Is it just the Internet that offends you, or are word processors also off-limits?”
Oh. I don’t know. They didn’t have word processors then, but I don’t have a typewriter. Can I fudge on this point? Write it out and make Ginnie type it for me? “Um, I’ll type it. Somehow.”
“It’ll be due next week, when everyone presents their virtual industries. And you can turn in a note tomorrow from your parents or doctor or church leader or some legitimate authority figure explaining why you’ve gone medieval. Got that?”
Good thing Ginnie is a champion forger. “Got it.”
He pushes up his shirtsleeve. The gray fuzz on his arms looks like a sweater of hair. “You do know that people literally gave their lives back then for advancements in transportation and technology.”
Exactly. They were so busy working on the railroad all the livelong day that those early-nineteenth-century folk did not have time for computer indiscretions. That’s a lesson