The Fun They Had

Infobox Short story
name = The Fun They Had
title_orig =
translator =
author = Isaac Asimov
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Science fiction short story
publication_type = Periodical
published_in = Boys and Girls Page
publisher =
media_type = Print (Newspaper, Magazine, Hardback & Paperback)
pub_date = 1 December 1951
English_pub_date =
preceded_by =
followed_by = "The Fun They Had" is a science fiction story written by Isaac Asimov. It first appeared in a children's newspaper in 1951, and was reprinted in the February 1954 issue of "The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction", as well as the collections "Earth Is Room Enough" (1957) and "The Best of Isaac Asimov" (1973).

Written by Asimov as a personal favour for a friend, "The Fun They Had" went on to become more popular than he expected. [cite book|title=The Best of Isaac Asimov|date=1973|author=Isaac Asimov|isbn=0-385-05078-X|publisher=Doubleday|chapter=Introduction] It is the most anthologised of all Asimov's stories and has appeared in many publications outside of the science fiction genre. He intended it as an ironic criticism of today's schools (in which children are all forced to learn the same things at the same pace, regardless of interest or ability), but the irony is often missed.Or|date=August 2008

Plot

The story takes place centuries in the future, where teaching is performed by robots with vast information stores. Two young friends, Tommy and Margie, find an old book about school. Tommy, the older child, dismisses it as boring, while Margie is enthralled by the idea of human teachers and a special building dedicated to teaching where children from all over would gather to learn.

References