However, I do believe that the darkroom will not die off as long as there is film and paper. I believe that teaching darkroom to kids is not something to forget about. In fact, a mentor of mine does just that: he teaches a photography course (albeit in black and white) which is totally darkroom based. He is teaching 6th graders in a private school, and they love it. They catch on, and they think it's just the coolest thing to be able to make photographs in this way. Remember, the less common a process becomes, the more intriguing it is to those who have never tried it. Digital photography is readily accessable at home, in schools, etc, for the average practitioner today. We're saturated in digital! The hybrid film/scanning method is more intriguing though, because it's less common. Luckily it's still pretty easy though. Buy film, develop it yourself, and then scan. And the traditional method (sans computer) is even more intriguing for those who haven't done it. They just need to be introduced to it by someone. And this is the process whereby photography is easily elevated to an artform. Once someone realizes this, nothing will keep them out of the darkroom.
Oh, I agree with you and I am all for it. I just don't think it will be enough to save film though and that is the problem. I just think that it stands a better chance with a compromise towards a hybrid workflow for the digi-oriented masses, which in turn translates to survival and a good base for the rest who want to see and use strictly traditional methods while teaching to to others who may be interested (and unfortunately will be the minority, as this is the world we live in, whether we like it or not). This way, both sides win and we can all be a happy family
