Old school: Kirkland first graders are using typewriters every day

When was the last time you heard the distinctive clack, the satisfying clang, the ping of the bell of a typewriter? If you’re young enough, you may have never heard or seen one.

“Well I actually didn’t even know typewriters were actually real. And I’ve never known a typewriter, even when I was little,” says Scarlet, a student in Brad Coulter’s first grade class at Kirkland’s Lakeview Elementary school.

Brad has the 6-year-olds using typewriters every single day. Every day, the kids get a writing assignment, and then they read their pieces in front of the class. Listen to the audio version of the story to hear the kids read.

But why typewriters?

“Well, I’ve had typewriters around the house for years and I’ve slowly brought them into the classroom,” Mr. Coulter says. “[I’ve] noticed over the past couple years that after being a novelty, they ended up becoming a really good writing tool. So I started to gather more, via garage sales and Craigslist. I just made it my mission to get enough for every kid. I’ve noticed that it’s motivating for them and the motivation, I guess, helps them write more effectively.”

Mr. Coulter, who has more than 25 typewriters at home and procured another 20 for his classroom, says the kids are excited to write when they can use a typewriter. They write more thoughtfully with fewer spelling errors since without spellcheck, they have to think before they type.

“The fact that they’re tactile. They can see the machine work and they can hear the sound and see the letter hit the page, I think that’s a big part of it, too. We have computers and we use them sometimes, but with the typewriters they can start right away. The computers take a while to log on and sometimes there are issues with printing or saving. With the typewriters, they work every day.”

I asked the kids a few questions about the typewriters.

CAN YOU PLAY GAMES ON A TYPEWRITER?

“Mmmmm, not really. But you can do math on the typewriter!”

DOES A TYPEWRITER HAVE INTERNET?

“Noooo, not really.”

WHAT’S EASIER TO USE, A TYPEWRITER OR A COMPUTER?

“A computer because you can erase the mistake you’ve made.”

HOW OLD ARE THESE TYPEWRITERS?

“Fifty years old.”

“Mr. Coulter has one typewriter and I think he said it was 90.”

Of course, Mr. Coulter also teaches handwriting and acknowledges that kids need computer skills in this modern world.

“Some of my friends have said, ‘Oh, you’re trying to go retro or be a hipster or something,’ and I’ve never really thought about it that way. It helps them write better. That’s all I really care about.”