As our world changes and improves, it’s only natural that our educational institutions do so too. After all, they are the ones primarily responsible for preparing children for the ever-progressing society. This means that the strategies and tools used in schools are constantly evolving, with new ones pushing out the old ones to rest. Just like chalkboards became whiteboards and TV carts were replaced by modern projectors.
More nostalgic items of the past from schools await you in the list below, carefully curated by our Bored Panda team. Scroll down to find them, and make sure to upvote the ones you still remember as clear as day.
While you're at it, don't forget to check out a conversation with David Grant, teacher and co-host of Inside Voices: A Teacher Podcast, who kindly agreed to share more nostalgic school items from the past.
#1 Elementary School Paper
I can smell this image, as well as the pencils we were given to use
Image credits: Lawless660071st
#2 Making These Paper Chains At School For Chistmas Decorations
Image credits: carmex2121
#3 Card Catalog - When I Was In School And Needed Google. My Only Option Was To Go To The Library
Image credits: Michael Holley
The introduction of technology into the classroom has been one of the most significant changes that pushed out many of the seemingly primitive teaching tools and methods on this list. Even though technology has done a lot to enhance learning and make it more efficient, it still feels bittersweet to remember the things in schools many of us grew up with.
That’s why we’re reminiscing about some of them with teacher and co-host of Inside Voices: A Teacher Podcast, David Grant.
The nostalgic things he remembers that are no longer used in the classrooms are blackboards and chalk, overhead projectors, the TV being wheeled in, and old workbooks.
#4 I'm This Old
Image credits: Bianca Monds
#5 Truth
Image credits: VaultBoyDanny
#6 Old School Fidget Spinner
Image credits: HawkeyeBubber
Even though Grant misses having a chalkboard and cleaning it at the end of the day, he believes that the tools they now have at their disposal are much further advanced.
"The tech we now use makes life easier and opens up new avenues of learning that weren’t accessible before. I think we also need to be preparing young people for life in the 21st century and an ill-equipped classroom is the first step to defeat this pursuit."
#7 Scholastic Book Fair...best Week Of The School Year
Image credits: JakeRazorClawson
#8 Pencils With Cartridges
Image credits: Lexjiggler
#9 Overhead Projector
Image credits: Amanda
However, he doesn't think that classrooms without the now-obsolete things are better per se. "I don’t think I had a bad education without new tech because the world didn’t have them and I wasn’t needing to be prepared to use them. I learned transferable skills, which have equipped me to learn how to use new tech later in life. However, a classroom without new technology today would potentially be a hindrance to 21st-century learners in ways it wasn’t for me 20 years ago," he explained.
#10 Stabbing Your Eraser When Bored
Image credits: tati_y0ung
#11 These TV Carts Always Meant Class Was Going To Be Fun When The Teacher Rolled One In
Image credits: curly1022
#12 Ruler Stencils
Image credits: ragincasian1
Since everything is evolving so rapidly, it's inevitable that the things we now consider up-to-date and modern will also be seen as old and obsolete by us in the future. So we were curious to know what Grant thinks will be the things to disappear from classrooms next.
"I think writing in workbooks and jotters won’t completely disappear but it will continue to dwindle. I also think written exams will move towards a more ‘building a body of work’ type system. I think things like smart boards and panels will be integrated into the walls and things like laptops will be replaced by smart desks, etc."
#13 The Rope Climb
I remember the fear and anxiety that came when you walked into my grade school gym to see the rope
Image credits: Alternative-Data9703
#14 I See Your Overhead Projector And Raise You A Mimeograph
Image credits: imremembering.com
#15 The Teacher's Pull Down Maps
Image credits: mmajunkie77
Teachers Ashley Marquez of the Teach Create Motivate podcast and Fernanda Sandoval of the YouTube channel That One Happy Classroom also previously shared with Business Insider the things they noticed going obsolete in most classrooms.
Just like Grant, the first thing of the past that Marquez mentions is chalkboards. "The only reason you may see chalk is during outdoor lessons with sidewalk chalk, but as far as chalkboards go, they're really less common now," she said. "Even small chalkboards that students used to have at their desks for quizzes or lessons have been replaced with whiteboards."
#16 The Old School Library Book Pocket Card
Image credits: Jfonzy
#17 Did Anyone Else Have A Stage In The Cafeteria Of Their School?
Image credits: Zolebrow
#18 Who Remembers ... The Grade Book ?
Image credits: reddit.com
Fortunately, the teachers’ punishment of writing lines (aka writing out ‘I will not sleep in class a hundred times) is also disappearing from classrooms, albeit not entirely. Many students, including Bart Simpson, think it to be completely pointless.
In hindsight, it might have a counteractive effect too, like children learning to hate writing, which should actually be seen as a creative and enjoyable pastime. Even though I am no longer a student, I’m glad that this once-popular punishment is no longer widely used.
#19 Listening To The Radio Waiting To See If Your School Was Closed When It Snowed
Image credits: Avenger101
#20 I Still Remember The Cold Hard Surface Of These Lab Tables
Image credits: Jakeko32
#21 Making These
Image credits: AndyMcHale_
Speaking of writing, Marquez says that some schools no longer teach cursive if it’s not a mandatory part of their curriculum. She explains that it’s due to the increasing demands on teachers to meet school and state standards. “I try to make time for teaching cursive, but it's definitely not taught in every classroom like it was when I was a student," she said. "I don't put a ton of emphasis on it, but I do think it's important to learn if I'm able to fit it in the day."
#22 These Battered Library Stools
Image credits: reddit.com
#23 This Student School Desk
Image credits: ebay.com
#24 You Are Lucky To Have All Your Fingers After Dealing With One Of These
Image credits: Pubb Fabb
Every ‘90s kid probably remembers TV carts, which universally signaled the long-awaited movie time. Over time they were replaced by projectors. "If your teacher rolled that cart into the classroom, you immediately knew it was going to be a fun activity or a movie," Marquez said. "The TV carts are very rare now. Most classrooms now don't even have a TV. Almost everything is done through the computer that's projected onto the wall or screen."
#25 My Mom Was Just Giving This Away
Image credits: imgur.com
#26 Went School Supply Shopping With My Kid. Bought Myself A Trapper Keeper And A Cool Pen
Image credits: longleggedwader
#27 School Textbooks And Seeing If You Knew Any Of The Names Before You
Image credits: ragincasian1
Lastly, even classmates’ birthdays and the treats that come with them are a bit more different these days. “In a lot of schools, parents now have to do a lot more before bringing in cupcakes or other snacks for a birthday. It's a whole process," Sandoval said. "They can only bring in store-bought foods and have to check with the school to ensure nobody in the class is allergic to any of the ingredients."
#28 Fresh Play-Doh
Image credits: imgur.com
#29 Anyone Remember Making These Shoebox Dioramas For School?
Image credits: assumingdirectcontrl
#30 Old Bathroom Sink In Toronto
Came across this old sink that I haven’t seen since I was in grade school in 1990. I know these were popular in the 80s…. Maybe 70s?
Image credits: Loud_Topic_1672
#31 Remember Doing This
Image credits: Pretty Celebs
#32 That One Magic Day When The Janitor Would Go Onto The School Roof & Throw Down All The Balls That Were Lost Up There
Image credits: nthensome
#33 Just Found This While Cleaning My Cupboard. My School Pencil Box From The 90s
Image credits: randomusernameguy4
#34 You Got Hours Of Enjoyment Out Of A Ball On A Rope
Image credits: Do You Remember When
#35 It's 1971 And I Finally Got A Good Report Card To Give To Mom
Image credits: Oldies But Goodies
#36 Kids Today Will Never Know The Pressure Of The Dreaded Due Date
Image credits: Jersis Khokhri
#37 This Ice Cream
Image credits: ebartels_20
#38 Sanford Permanent Marker
If you've watched someone open one of these markers and immediately smelled its intense aroma
Image credits: Ry4nolson
#39 Do You Remember What These Were Used For? (Hint- We Had Them In The Classroom)
Image credits: Maya Tedbury
#40 School Lunch Menu Showing Days Off
Image credits: PharmSystem
#41 Middle School Chairs Yay Or Nay
Feeling the static from one of these chairs and getting your hair caught
Image credits: krunkstep77
#42 Running Your Finger Along The Grooves In The Wall While In School
Image credits: FoxFourTwo
#43 Judy Blume Books. Who Read These In Elementary School?
Image credits: CincoDeMayoFan
#44 Found This Gem Today In My Stash
Typewriter eraser
Image credits: Oldies But Goodies
#45 1970’s Pencil Boxes, They Always Broke In A Week, But We Got 1 Every Year
Image credits: Ambitious-End-1066
#46 Cracking Your Back On These School Desks
Image credits: Loxspar
#47 The Alpha And Omega Of Elementary School Lunch: Square Pizza
Image credits: just3cutsyo
#48 I Remember Those Sheets
Image credits: Do You Remember When
#49 Did You Take Drivers Ed?
Image credits: Do you remember the 60s,70s & 80s
#50 Found An Ancient Resistor At School
Image credits: JustInsanityforfun
#51 If You Were 10-14 Years Old In The 1980's And Had This Book, You Were The Most Powerful Nerd At School
Image credits: OGLothar
#52 My Old School
Image credits: Evon10c
#53 Grade School Scooter Things?
Image credits: Beepis2
#54 Found Some Of My Old School Folders. Waves Of Nostalgia Washed Over Me
Image credits: Tennessee_Lola
#55 Do You Remember? The Room In Your Old School With Floors Like This
Image credits: Do you remember the 60s,70s & 80s
#56 Powdered Hand Soap At School For My Fellow Classmates Of The 70’s
Image credits: PitoChueco
#57 You Became A Master Salesperson After Dealing With These
Image credits: Charlotte Miller
#58 Eating Your Vanilla Ice Cream With A Wooden Spoon
Image credits: karlandkat.com
#59 When People Came And Sold Yo-Yos In Elementary School
Image credits: BRAINFORCE22
#60 POV: It's Valentines Day Morning At School And Your The First One In Your Classroom
Image credits: OtherFootball4636
#61 Old Mcdonald’s Cup I Found In The Ceiling Of A School I Was Working At
Image credits: Psych0matt
#62 Overhead Projector Tiles I Found In My Supply Closet Today, Took Me Back To Elementary School!
Image credits: hyacinths_
#63 Math Blocks
Image credits: Jenni J's Jems
#64 Using This For School Projects (Before Wordart)
Image credits: ShaneyDee
#65 1950s & 1960s School Cafeteria Lunches
Image credits: stonekingseminars
#66 Remember Doing Shorthand?
Image credits: Growing Up In The 70s and 80s
#67 Went To Primary School In The Late 80s/90s. How Did You Rule Your Page And What Year Did You Learn?
Image credits: greeknicko
#68 The Ti-108 Calculators On Their Own Are A Big Time Elementary School Vibe. But The Classic Yellow Caddy Takes It To A Whole Other Level
Image credits: Popular_Echo4882
#69 Anyone Else Make Damper While At Camp During Primary School?
Image credits: Flintelbowpatches
#70 Memories Unlock
Image credits: Kyle Rockwell
#71 Gym Class Pinnies That Were Never Washed
Image credits: reddit.com
#72 School Cafeteria Chicken Burgers
Image credits: reddit.com
#73 Did Teachers All Make Us Read This In Elementary School?
Image credits: SocraticTiger
#74 Your School Supplies Weren't Cool Unless You Had A Spacemaker!
Image credits: SuperMarioMom
#75 Everyone Had This Is Their School Library But No One Ever Read It
Image credits: AUSgoonbag2
