Programming does not apply to computers

One year, I actually took a computer class. We were supposed to learn how to use Word Perfect, which was already on its way to obsolescence. Instead, I grabbed my calculator and played around with programming features. I was learning, but that learning was distracting me from my schoolwork. My teacher confiscated my calculator, which was a way to punish me for learning in class.

This was actually a pretty good lesson for me in the sense that it showed me how the schools discourage learning from happening. I felt that my schoolwork wasn’t educational, and I made a legitimate effort to take control over my own education. I was punished, discouraging me from independent learning and damaging my interest in learning programming skills.

This was a computer class. Instead of learning a specific word processing program that lost significant market share due to poor quality, I was trying to learn the basics of programming. Which do you think is more valuable for someone learning about computers? Personally, I think I was on the right path in the sense that I was pursuing true education. I also feel that I was pushed onto the wrong path by my teacher, and my educational rights were being stripped away.