LAUSR

When I was growing up, I had the great privilege of attending a private high school where I sat around a large oval wooden table with 10 to 15 other students. Those were the days before iPads and laptop computers, so students could not instantly access information the way they can now. Teachers were the expert authorities, and the information they taught us could not easily be verified. They could see our faces and whether our eyes were open or partly closed; they knew at a glance whether we were engaged in the topic. There was nowhere to hide. We could refer to our textbooks and notebooks, and there was a blackboard with chalk to illustrate ideas or pose questions.