There’s no question that the education system has changed drastically over generations. In decades prior, certain things deemed “normal” at school would send parents into a frenzy today.
I recently asked older adults in the BuzzFeed Community: “What “normal” things used to be common in school that are unheard of today?”
Here are their most shocking responses:
1.“In elementary school, I used to bring teachers their cigarettes from the cigarette vending machine in the teachers’ lounge so they could smoke outside while we played at recess.”
—Anonymous
2.“Our high school had a rifle range on the fourth floor for our school rifle team to practice after school. Students would bring their rifles into school slung over their shoulders and have pockets full of ammo. No one panicked. This was a decent-sized city, not a rural area.”
—Anonymous
3.“My school used to have children from kindergarten to high school compete against each other in sports. Imagine a little 5-year-old against an 18-year-old in a sprint. It was wild.”
—Anonymous
4.“When I was in elementary school (early to mid-90s), our principal would pull out your wiggly teeth if you asked.”
5.“When I was in the fifth grade (1997), we went to the Bronx Zoo on a class trip. We weren’t allowed to go into the bat exhibit as a whole group, so our teacher paired each student with a stranger to go into the dark, cave-like exhibit with. Thankfully, we all returned to our teacher on the other side.”
—Anonymous
6.“My teacher tied my left hand to my chair to force me to write right-handed.”
7.“We had our smoking area at the high school. If you wanted to smoke, no matter how old you were, you were allowed to go to the smoking area.”
—Anonymous
8.“We used to line up in elementary school to get vaccinated. The same needle was used on everyone; it was just wiped with an alcoholic cotton ball between uses. This was in the ’60s.”
—Anonymous
9.“We had a wood-burning stove to heat the classroom.”
—Anonymous
10.“When I was in second grade, the teacher would give us mercury to play with at our desks.”
—Anonymous
11.“As punishment (at a public school) for misbehaving or not completing homework, we would have to get on our knees. So, if you didn’t write your spelling words five times one night, you would have to kneel by your desk and write all 30 words five times each.”
“You would get reprimanded further if you sat on your heels or leaned on your desk in an attempt to give your knees a break. This physical punishment did not require permission from parents, nor did it even entail a phone call to inform parents it happened.”—Anonymous
12.“I remember teachers placing a strip of masking tape over the mouths of students who talked aloud or out-of-turn in class.”
—Anonymous
13.“Naughty children in my fifth-grade class were made to sit or stand in the trash can because they were acting like trash (or, to be more blunt, because the teacher labeled them as trash).”
—Anonymous
14.“Probably second grade, the bus gets stuck on a snow-covered hill, fairly steep. The driver has the kids get out, go behind the bus, and push.”
15.“Streakers. Yes, this happened a lot for a couple of years. Mostly at sporting events and graduation.”
16.“I have the distinct memory of coming back to my first-grade classroom after lunch and there being a cloud of smoke in the room and an ashtray with cigarette butts on my teacher’s desk. It was totally normal for the early ’80s, but man, that was completely bonkers looking back!”
—Anonymous
17.“In the ’60s, girls and boys were separated at recess. A teacher monitored to ensure girls stayed on their side and boys on theirs. You got in big trouble if you crossed the line. The boys had all the cool stuff on their side (basketball court, monkey bars, etc). All we had was hopscotch squares and swings.”
18.“In high school, if you were going hunting after school, you were told to check your…