I FEEL VINDICATED AGAIN
I saw this coming years ago ! Big news story ! A mother has been charged with a felony for hacking into the computers at her children’s school. She changed the grades on her children’s records in order to make them better.
Now I feel vindicated. I warned everyone about the use of computerized records at school when the idea first started to take hold years ago as I was nearing retirement. I was the only teacher in the school to cling to the old-fashioned method of keeping class records in my trusty old spiral green record book. (The very same kind I used for thirty-five years). Sure enough, a disgruntled computer coordinator who was about to be fired at the school, deleted all the computerized records. All the teachers were in a panic, not sure how they would have grades for report cards, but oh, not me. I just held up my good old green spiral notebook at the emergency faculty meeting and smiled.
A similar incident occurred a few years later when a computer system crash deleted all the reading records and everyone but me was left without any record of the students’ reading points. Once again, my trusty record book trumped those new fangled objects called computers!
When our school district first encouraged everyone to take direct deposit of their paycheck, I refused, once again not trusting the new electronic systems. Sure enough, one friday afternoon pay-day, it was announced that the direct deposit system was down, and checks wouldn’t be deposited until sometime the following week. People were in a panic, worried that bills would go unpaid. I held up my paper check, showed it to my departing colleagues, smiled, and left the building with my money.
Yes, I was an old fossil, and yes, now I too use direct deposit and computerized billing, etc, but I still don’t trust it. If I was still teaching I certainly would use my trusty green spiral as a backup for computer records. Here’s my reason for mistrusting computers. There’s never been a system built by man that was ever capable of being compromised by a bunch of snotty nosed, pimple faced, thirteen year olds that know more about technology than the adult manufacturers. When mere children can bring down whole computer systems with their hacking, why should I trust it ? Now we have adults attacking the school computer systems. Once we get computer systems COMPLETELY secure, then I will throw away my old green spiral. Oh, wait, I don’t need it anymore, I’m retired. Would anyone want a slightly used record book ? You never know when you might need it.
