Lisa O
Schools in the 1980s had a particular feel that you can’t really recreate today. The buildings, the routines, the rules, and even the way kids interacted all had a certain simplicity to them. Things weren’t as supervised or digital. A lot of what happened back then would feel strange now, but at the time, it was simply how school worked.
Handwritten Notes Passed During Class
Since kids didn’t have cell phones or ways to text in the 1980s, the only way to talk secretly in class was to write. Students would write short messages on pieces of paper and fold them up into small, secret shapes. They would then quickly try to pass the note to a friend across the desks. The biggest danger was a teacher seeing the note being passed and grabbing it right out of your hand.
The Loud Clacking of Computer Keyboards
Most schools only had a few dedicated computer labs, and the machines were often Apple IIe or Commodore PETs. Learning “computer class” meant typing on those chunky, mechanical keyboards with keys that clacked so loudly you could hear them down the hall. Everything was stored on floppy disks, which required careful insertion and saving.
Writing on Chalkboards (Not Whiteboards)
Teachers wrote everything with white or colored chalk on a huge blackboard. The smell of the chalk dust, the sound of the squeaking, and the sight of the teacher hitting the dusty eraser against the outside wall or tray are all iconic memories. Someone always got the job of clapping the erasers outside during cleanup.
Getting Pink Slips from the Librarian
The library was a quiet, sacred place. If you forgot to return a book, you didn’t get an email reminder; you got a dreaded “pink slip” (or sometimes yellow) notice sent to your homeroom teacher, who then passed it to you. It was a public source of shame until you paid your fines or returned the book.
Pumping Up Your Reebok Pumps
Footwear was a big deal, and if you had Reebok Pumps (or another similar pneumatic shoe), you had to show them off. You would enthusiastically pump the little ball on the tongue before gym class or recess, making the pffft-pffft sound as the air bladder inflated around your ankle for that supposedly superior fit.
The Smell of Ditto Copies
Before photocopiers were common, teachers used a Ditto machine to make worksheets. These copies had a faint, light purple ink and a distinctive, sweet, slightly alcoholic smell from the chemicals used in the process. Every kid would immediately hold the sheet up to their face and take a deep, satisfying sniff.
Mandatory Daily Doses of the Food Pyramid
The Food Pyramid was the ultimate guide to healthy eating, and it was everywhere: posters in the cafeteria, lessons in health class, and even on the cover of school planners. You were taught to eat 6-11 servings of bread, cereal, rice, and pasta, a standard that looks vastly different from today’s nutritional guidelines.
No Helmets for Anything
Whether you were riding your bike to school, roller-skating, or using a skateboard, helmets were not required or often even sold for recreational use. Safety gear was mostly ignored. You just jumped on and went, treating scraped knees and elbows as a normal part of life.
The Painful Tetherball Court
Recess was a dangerous free-for-all, and one of the central attractions was the tetherball pole. This game involved furiously smacking a ball wrapped on a rope around a pole. If you weren’t careful, you ended up with stinging rope burns, or worse, someone’s aggressive hit landed directly on your hand or face.
Pulling Out the Encyclopedia Set
To research a report, you didn’t go online. You went to the library (or your living room shelf) and pulled out the heavy volumes of the World Book or Britannica Encyclopedia set. You had to manually look up your topic, hoping the facts hadn’t been superseded in the last five years since the set was published.
Watching Educational Videos on a TV Cart
The appearance of the teacher wheeling in the tall, metal AV cart with a huge television and VCR meant it was a special day. The whole class would gather around to watch a grainy educational video, and the best part was hearing the clunk of the VHS tape going into the machine.
The Constant Threat of Getting Lost on The Oregon Trail
The ultimate computer game was The Oregon Trail. You spent most of your time typing commands and hoping your oxen didn’t die or your characters didn’t get dysentery. You vividly remember the sound of the computer beeps as you selected your profession and ration size.
Pencil Wars During Class
While waiting for the teacher, kids would engage in “Pencil Wars”—a fierce, quiet battle where you would rapidly tap your sharpened pencil against another person’s to try and break their lead or, ideally, snap their pencil in half. The victorious snap was highly satisfying.
Covering Textbooks in Brown Paper
Every new school year started with rolling out brown paper, cutting it just right, and adding name labels. Families had their own methods of folding corners and taping edges. Kids compared whose books looked neatest on the first day. By midyear, the paper was torn, doodled on, or softened from use. It was a little ritual everyone took seriously.
Saving Your Quarters for the Hallway Phone
If you needed to call home, there was no cell phone. If a student needed to call their parents, they had to ask for permission to use the payphone mounted on the hallway wall. You’d dig around for a quarter (or a dime, depending on the year) and stand there, hoping no one was eavesdropping on your call.