When you walk into a classroom at the beginning of the school year, a blank chalkboard is completely meaningless. In fact, it looks completely out of place being so spotlessly clean. Chalkboards are supposed to have that dirty, dusty look; a sign of many messages being communicated, rubbed off, a new message created, explained differently for the one person who learns differently and didn't understand, and rubbed blank at the end of each day.
Similarly, the chalkboard would look just wrong if the teacher used only one colour. Sometimes the boring high school teacher would stick to white chalk only, but everyone knows that a chalkboard should be covered in a rainbow of colours. Each colour representing something new or emphasising and enhancing something plain and boring. Even if red is nearly impossible to see from the back of the classroom.
I must admit, I felt a little bit sorry for kids when whiteboards, and more recently "smartboards", were brought into every classroom. The chalkboard is slowly being phased out. I guess that's how old people felt when mobile phones appeared, and love letters slowly became a way of the past. I just feel that no matter how messy a chalkboard is, or how inconveniently difficult it is to make it completely clean, or how painfully unbearable that scratchy 'nail' noise can be; there is something about the chalkboard. Something that has depth; that represents learning, communication, and expression.
If I were to be completely honest, I am currently sitting at my kitchen table, saw the blank space next to 'Blog Title'; looked up and the first thing I saw was the pantry door that the boys painted with chalkboard paint and is currently covered in a half rubbed off quote, half a shopping list, and an array of penis' and boobies. But it would be much better for the purpose of this blog, if you were to think that I'm a passionate and deep communicator. Which I am.
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