Introduction

In the way of introduction, my name is Joshua Keirn.

I teach English at Portage High School in Portage, Indiana.

As do most English teachers, I have a longstanding love of writing and literature. As do many English teachers, I also have a strong interest in typewriters.

Toward the end of my first year at PHS (the same year we just wrapped up), I decided to bring in a manual typewriter to allow students the chance to type their in-class writing on a machine they had only previously seen in movies and television.

I was motivated by a few factors (more to come in a future post), but I was unsure how the experiment would play out. Much to my surprise and pleasure, the students were excited! There were a couple complaints about the noise, and a few students were indifferent, but most of the students were very interested. We had to put names in a hat to draw and see who would get to use it the first time around in most of my classes, and some of my students who are loath to write much of anything dove into the brief writing activity with gusto, knowing that's what they needed to do in order to take a whack at the keyboard.

The following week, I brought in a couple more typewriters (my full collection, at the time, of three machines). A few students even asked if they could type their answers to a short quiz we took (I had to decline for logistical reasons--it was a very short quiz).

My new classroom for the 2015-16 year is more spacious (plenty of room for a few typing tables aside from the desks, and large enough that the click-clack of typewriters has room to dissipate a little), and my typewriter plans are expanding to match!

In addition to curriculum planning, my main school-related goal for the summer is to acquire typewriters. Several of them. I've been scouring Craigslist, classifieds, and thrift and antique shops. I've been sending e-mails to sellers. I've been hearing the sweet clacking of typebars in my sleep.

I decided to create this blog to chronicle the experiment (and, for now, to give interested parties a place to find basic information on the project and my rationale for it).

Check back here for more information in the coming days, weeks, and perhaps years!