Mrs. Eighties
80s Member
- Jun 26, 2023
- 61
- 39
Morning Arrival
The day usually started with a bumpy ride on a yellow school bus or a walk from home with your backpack slung over one shoulder. For me it was almost always the yellow school bus. Backpacks were simple and barely held the weight of your books. I remember they had some backpacks that were from music artists like Kiss. So once you got to school you almost always waited by the door until the bell rang. The mornings were usually surrounded by loud voice talking about last night’s TV shows, baseball games or simple gossip. The moment you walked inside the familiar smells hit you. The cafeteria food warming up, fresh floor wax and a hint of Crayola crayons if you were near the younger grades. The morning were an exciting time for many of us. I loved the mornings.
The Classroom Setup
Desks were arranged in straight rows or tight clusters. Most had a storage bin underneath for your notebooks, textbooks, and whatever lunch snack had melted by third period. We can't forget about the writings on the desks and the collection of old bubble gum stuck under it. Some desks had a wire basket or wooden cubby. Bulletin boards were covered in colorful borders and themed cutouts that changed with the seasons. We stared at the chalkboard all day. Teachers wrote notes sometimes in script and the chalk left trails of powder on their hands and clothes. If you were lucky you got picked to clap the erasers outside. The teachers loved me. I was basically like a teachers pet so I frequently got to clap the erasers.
Learning the Analog Way
Back then we used an encyclopedia for information. It was our Google. We wrote essays in a spiral notebook or looseleaf. Our homework was done by hand by pen in blue or black. Some teachers wanted us to use No 2 pencils only. The teacher sometimes wheeled in a giant television on a cart and that was cause for celebration. We all got excited at the giant television. We watched deucational filmstrips, documentaries and if we were lucky a good movie. Once inawhile the teacher would bust out an overhead projector which made lessons feel high tech. Teachers would write with markers on clear plastic sheets while the warm hum of the machine filled the room.
Lunchroom Life
Lunchtime was controlled chaos. All you heard was loud talking, laughing and screaming. Lunch trays were plastic with deep sections to keep your food from mixing. I remember the basic square pizza, canned green beans and a tiny carton of chocolate milk or regular. If it was spaghetti day we knew that luch was going to be bad. Everyone hoped to avoid mystery meat. For those of you that don't know mystery meat was just that. A real mystery. There were lunchroom trades and lunchroom drama. We usually all sat on the same table. We rarely changed tables. The metal heads sat with the metal heads. The jocks sat with the jocks. The nerds with the nerds and then there was the table of the outcasts. That was the one table where you didn't want to end up at.
Recess and Specials
Recess was freedom for us. Kids sprinted to the playground or blacktop for twenty solid minutes of tag, hopscotch, jump rope or just hanging on the jungle gym. If you were inside you were most likely sitting at the school library. Gym class was hit or miss. I actually enjoyed the gym. Playing kickball, running laps and having fun with the jump rope. Art class was fun. That was one of my favorite classes. We usually used construction paper and glue sticks. Ocassionaly we worked with the clay and if you were younger play-doh. Music class was recorders, singing choir or having fun with a clarinet.
End of the Day Routine
As the final bell crept closer, we started watching the clock like lionesses wathcing their prey. We couldn't wait for the bell to ring. You packed your bag, made sure your homework was copied down from the board and maybe slipped a folded note into your pocket to read on the bus ride home. Dismissal was hectic. Hallwayswere filled with students running to their lockers or running out the door. Outside their were lines of buses, parents double parked in their cars, and teachers trying to hold the door open while also ending a sentence.
Why It Stuck With Us
The school day in the 80s was not fancy or high tech, but it had a kind of charm that has never been replaced. I don't know about you but I loved it. Everything was more personal. You remembered your favorite teacher’s voice, the way the hall smelled, and the exact sound of your classroom door clicking shut. It was a time of filmstrips and book fairs, cafeteria pizza and paper bag book covers. It was structure mixed with surprise and learning that happened without a single screen.
What do you remember about school?
