What Was School Like in the 80s?

Passing notes, skating (not rollerblading), chalkboards and big glasses. Things have changed since the 80s. The basics have stayed the same: kids today don’t look forward to it, there are still jocks, nerds, geeks and bullies and a classroom setting. Although with COVID-19, who knows if that will even stay.

But it’s interesting to look back and see how school was so different in this crazy era. Not just trends among students but teaching style, quality of education and resources like books vs. iPads. Even the smell was different. This could be just the schools I attended, but I remember preschool up until middle school had a certain mothball smell, almost like old paper. But it could be the result of lower funding and we had to use older materials.

Anyways, here are some of the major things about what school was like in the 80s. You may also want to read up on this guest post summary on one man’s experience in high school during the 80s.

What School Was Like in the 80s

1. Desks

The desks at school were these hideous boxy, bulky things that were incredibly uncomfortable to sit in. The tops were wooden with a ton of words and designs carved into them with pencil and pen saying “I Love Nate” or “Nate is a loser”. All sorts of things.

It was always interesting to switch up the seating arrangements in the class because a new desk meant new carvings to read. There was also the adhesive that was always stuck on the top from any stickers people put there and had ripped off.

When lifting up the top, there was a metal tray where you put your notebooks, folders, books and pencils. I remember in 3rd grade I tried to cheat on my spelling test by looking at the words on a sheet of paper next to my test and then tried to slip the answers back in my desk to hide it from my teacher. But of course I got caught and had to show my mom what I did.

Anyways, the last thing was the hard wooden or ceramic chairs you couldn’t sit in for longer than an hour. Your butt would just get so sore after a while. This has hardly changed today as they are either still ceramic or now metal.

2. Skating

This reminds me of the movie Better Off Dead where Lane tries to score a date with the girl who only dates the basketball team through skating, until he miserably fails when falling to the floor…bringing her outfit down with him.

Before it was recognized as such a safety hazard, kids were skating to and from school, on the playground – just not in school.

The roller rinks were also a big deal. You’d always see skating couples, girls with their friends and guys hanging out on the sidelines. It was the best go to spot on a Friday or Saturday night!

3. Passing Notes

Something today’s kids will never have to worry about is passing notes. It’s too easy to send texts to someone in another class, so they don’t have to worry about having the note taken away or having to read it in front of everyone.

This also reminds me of the movie Sixteen Candles when Samantha was leaning back and “accidentally” dropped a note on the classroom floor that answered questions about her sex life. It was supposed to be for her friend, but it was instead grabbed by her crush, Jake Ryan, who later found out and developed feelings for her in return.

As far as passing notes myself, I did so more in elementary school, but had a special way of folding them, almost like an envelope. I’d stick hearts all over them and write down my crushes name and pass it to my friends. And of course as soon as word got out that I liked a guy, I would immediately pick someone else. Typical kid thing to do.

4. Gym Class

Some things still haven’t changed, but I remember wearing an ugly gym shirt with my last name. The guys would also wear these incredibly short shorts, the same length as the girls wear theirs today.

Kids would also spend a lot of time on the school track, jumping over hurdles, whereas the kids today never have to do that (for safety reasons again I would assume).

There was also rope climbing were nobody could ever reach the top. But again taken out for safety reasons.

Those fun roller carts were also great for about five minutes until you ran over your fingers. But to some people it was worth it.

And finally, in elementary school, we had those huge rainbow colored parachutes where everyone would grab a handle, throw it up into the air and run underneath it to the other side when your color was called.

5. Books

Surely, books are still used today. But in the 80s, they were all that was used. Kids didn’t have any laptops, internet or iPads to help lighten their load. All research for school projects had to be through research from books at the library.

Can you imagine walking home with your backpack just filled to the brim with heavy textbooks? In high school, this was the hardest because of course that was when you had the most work, carrying at least four 10 lb books, which is 40 lbs right there. And if you didn’t have any friends with cars, such as freshmen, that was a long walk home. Kids today just don’t know how good they have it.

6. Chalkboards

Chalkboards weren’t only used up front, but I remember there were boards passed around to the class where we had to use them ourselves, such as writing the answers to multiplication questions. For erasers, we used old socks. I just remember it being such a mess with the chalk powder getting everywhere and having to go wash my hands immediately afterwards.

Even for the big chalkboard, there was never any chalk or you had these tiny pieces to work with, if anything. The floor would just be covered in powder and I’d track it around the classroom carpet. Definitely now something I miss.

It was a relief as soon as the dry erase boards became more universal. The only challenge was that the markers would always be gone or they’d never have any ink in them. This would  be the biggest problem from the middle of the year onward as it was incredibly difficult to read anything on the board since the writing was so light.

7. Overhead Projectors

You remember those massive overhead projectors that would sit on carts to project the answers to a test, someone’s essay or instructions for a specific problem? It required a specific clear sheet of paper for the writing to be projected onto the screen and the lights would always need to be turned off to see what was written. I’ll admit, it was difficult to stay awake during these lectures, and incredibly bothersome when the lights were turned back on.

I also remember getting really nervous when going up to write down my answer to a question, or worse, trying to solve the problem up there with my terrible handwriting. I was always afraid of what others would think or being wrong in front of everyone.

Nowadays, we have these fancy little Elmos that sit on top of desks, connect to a TV and you can use regular paper – not see-through – to show your work to everyone. The projected image is also incredibly clear. You don’t need a special marker either.

8. Yearbook Signing

Yearbooks are still a thing now, but they aren’t used nearly as much now as they were then. They were considered to be the Facebook of the 80s, where people would mark them up with hearts around their friends and crushes pictures and scratch out or draw devil-like features around people they’d hate.

It was also a thing to get everyone to sign it, where your friends would write funny, descriptive messages and others you didn’t know just wrote the boring old “have a good summer” message. Nevertheless, it was important to have everyone sign it.

9. Milk Cartons

It didn’t matter how old you were, milk cartons were always available to buy. Some had the pictures of missing kids on the back and others had some weird cartoons. But as a kid who loved sugar, I would always get the chocolate milk since it was either that or plain. I never understood those who got the plain. Once in a blue moon there would also be strawberry milk, which was always gone as soon as it became available.

10. Clothes

While the feeling of self-confidence that came with wearing expensive clothing hasn’t changed, the cheap and expensive brands have. If your family had money, you could afford to wear the name brand clothes from Nike, The Merry Go Round Store, DEB and Guess. But if you didn’t, everyone could tell you wore the clothes from Wal-Mart or Kmart.

It was sad that kids based their self-esteem and appearance then, and while advocates are still fighting to change it today, it’s still very much alive. The trendy, fashionable brands may change, but the idea of basing confidence on money has always remained the same.

11. Team Captains During PE

In the 80s, the top athletes from each class would always get to pick who would be on their team. Since everyone knew who was more athletic than who, the last remaining bit of confidence was always shredded when it came down to the last person picked. Friendships were also strained as kids would feel left out when they weren’t picked over other friends.

As far as I know today, this was phased out as the system now focuses on inclusivity. It’s gone a bit far in my opinion to the point of not recognizing students who really worked hard for their recognition, but at least team captains are not picking their favorites anymore.

12. Makeup and Hair

You can best believe many girls would spend a ton of time in the bathroom spraying the crap out of their hair and applying layers of eyeliner, mascara, lip gloss and everything else. Makeup was everywhere and it was heavily applied. Lipstick was even written on mirrors in messages with hearts about who they loved and hated while the janitors spent countless hours scrubbing them off.

The bathrooms would also wreak of hairspray as the sinks, faucets and floors were always sticky from the leftovers. Never mind the little dots of residue all over the mirror. And at the end of a basketball game, they would be trashed.

13. In-Person Interaction

The biggest difference between human interaction in the 80s and today is that back then it existed. Friends had no other choice but to talk to eachother in school as they didn’t have phones, social media or texting to talk digitally.

When someone called them at home, they never knew who it was until they picked up and asked. So if you were expecting a call from a boy and your parents picked up, caller beware!

News also traveled slower, at least until the end of class or end of the day about a fight, breakup or suspension. While everyone did have their own way of finding out, kids had to be a lot more creative as to where they got their information; they would overhear it in the bathroom, library or leaving class, especially through gossip.

14. Availability of Computers

Not many people had their own computers at home as they were expensive! The Apple Macintosh retailed at $6,000 when it was released and the Commodore 64 was a few hundred dollars. But the incentive to get a computer then wasn’t nearly as strong as it is today; the internet was no more than instant messaging and emails. There wasn’t even dial-up until 1992!

So can you guess how papers were written? They were either written by hand or typed up on the typewriter. No thanks.

As far as big announcements, like the Space Shuttle Explosion in 1986, they were announced over the loud speaker by the principal. For schools that had media rooms, teachers could check out a TV and VCR to show a movie, and they were nothing impressive. No more than a big box TV on a big cart with a VCR connected on the shelf below it.

15. Huge Glasses

All the geeks wore them back then, despite how ugly they looked. But that was the only thing available, with those huge, thick lenses and frames. There were contacts, but they were more expensive, so if you didn’t have a lot of money and couldn’t see, you had no choice but to wear them.

Today, we have the luxury of Lasik surgery, even if you had astigmatism or had bifocals. Just about anyone can get it nowadays. But believe it or not, the big glasses are coming back, along with some other 80s fashion trends like Rae Bans, denim jackets and shoulder pads.

16. Bullying

In the 80s, bullying was taken so lightly that nobody really even cared. Everyone knew who was bullied and who was the bully, but nobody ever took a stand to stop it. It happened in the hallways, bathrooms, playground, after school – almost everywhere. Everyone knew it was wrong, but didn’t even think of the damage it caused, why it happened or the long-term effects for both the bully and the victim.

Nowadays, you hardly see it anywhere as schools have introduced countless anti-bullying programs. Thanks to increased awareness, bullies can expect in and out of school suspension and even jail time for stealing lunch money, inappropriate touching or picking fights.

17. After School and Summer Jobs

In the 80s, kids had part-time jobs and used their money to buy a car, clothes, makeup etc. Unfortunately not many saved for college since it wasn’t the trend, however, it was saved for weddings and clothes at the mall. It also taught kids to have responsibility, developing some professional skills like customer service, organization and punctuality.

While there are still kids with jobs today, I’m pretty sad to see how much it has changed. Instead of heading home to get ready for work, many will sit on the couch and play video games or just hang out with their friends.

There’s also young 9 and 10-year-olds bringing their $1,000 smartphones to school. For those who still don’t, I’m sure they feel left out since their parents may not be able to afford it – another issue of our self-worth being dependent on our possessions and not our actions or personality.

What Was Your Experience Like in School?

Whether or not you were in school during the 80s, I’d love to hear about your experience! If you graduated in the 60s, 70s, 90s or later, how does it compare to the 80s? Please let me know in the comments below!