How to bewitch a middle-school kid

A former student of mine writes:

I have been teaching middle school, and I love to be with the students. ... I have dozens and dozens of stories from the year so far. It seems that at every moment of teaching, my attitude is either "I can't believe I get paid to do this," or, "you cannot possibly pay someone enough to do this." The challenges and joys together make it great.

As part of my personal desk setup in my classroom, I included, of course, the Brother typewriter that I acquired from you a couple of years ago. I was under the impression that it would be useful to me, and that it is also a good item to have on any serious instructor's desk.

What I did not foresee was just how fascinated all of the students would be by it.

The 6th graders have taken to keeping a collective, daily class journal on my typewriter. The physical sensation of the apparatus is all but bewitching for them. And the notes they type reflect a connectedness to their day that I don't think would be catalogued in a Word document. The amount of instances per day in which I hear the words, "Mr. P_____, can I type on the typewriter?" is higher than I could have possibly anticipated. It is downright delightful. Several students have also expressed to me that they are finally typing well on the computer precisely because of their practice on the more-difficult typewriter.

Attached is an image of a page of text that some of my students typed a few weeks ago--to give you an idea of what they've been using it for.

Correspondence from around the typosphere

I enjoy all the messages I get from around the typosphere. Forgive me if I'm slow to reply! Here are four that have arrived recently.

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From Richard G. in Ohio:



It's always good to know where our typewriters began their life. Olivetti had a worldwide network of typewriter factories. By the way, if you read Spanish, I highly recommend a recent post on Escrituras Mecánicas where a typewriter tells the story of its perilous life.

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From Klaus M. in Germany:




Can anyone advise Klaus? I think the reinked ribbon works pretty well. Ingenuity will keep our insurgency going!

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Here's a handwritten communiqué (apparently, more advanced writing technology was unavailable), battered but unbroken, from Agent B. in Czechia:

It's true, this is my ancestral land (Polt was abbreviated from Pollatschek). I have been meaning to read Patočka. Those interested in Czech typewriters should consult ETCetera No. 79.

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Finally, a query from Abby H. in California:

Erasure unachieved

I got to see "California Typewriter" for the third time in Chicago on Saturday and participate in a Q&A along with Martin Howard (antiquetypewriters.com), Eric Plattner (Poems While You Wait), and Arthur Wagner (Wagner Office Machines). Also attending: Ton S. (i dream lo-tech).

In the film, Silvi Alcivar (The Poetry Store) talks about how the words come when she's at the typewriter, and about being asked to write poems about intimate experiences. One man who had attempted suicide asked her for a poem about surviving.

I wondered what on earth I could come up with if I were given such a request. Back home, I sat at the Woodstock and tried a response. So here it is, for whatever it's worth.