School policies, rules, and culture have certainly changed over time, but how much? Recently, Redditor u/ladidadi82 asked the older adults of the Reddit Community to share the common, everyday school experiences from “way back when” that simply wouldn’t be allowed today, and some of them are so wild. Here are some responses that, depending on your age, will have you either sifting through your school memories or sitting in utter shock:
1.“Girls had to wear dresses or skirts to school until the mid-’70s.”
2.“We were allowed to bring guns to school as long as they stayed in your vehicle or you had a note from a teacher allowing it in the building. It was common among the kids who hunted after school.”
3.“Anyone could walk into the school, claim to be your parent, relative, or someone you knew, and leave with you. No questions asked.”
4.“Teachers were allowed to discipline students by paddling them. Some teachers proudly displayed their paddling equipment in a row above the blackboard. The boards had handles for better swinging with small holes drilled in them so it would sting more.”
5.“During lunchtime, it was an open campus.”
6.“Ugh, I had repressed the memory of open showers. I was a shy, awkward, and anxious kid who had put a lot of effort into avoiding them.”
7.“I went to school in the 1970s. Back then, teachers didn’t stop bullying and were sometimes the bullies themselves. I remember many occasions when teachers singled out kids and mocked or insulted them in front of the whole class.”
8.“If you misbehaved, you had to sit in the corner and wear a dunce cap.”
9.“At my high school in the 1970s, there was an outdoor smoking area for high school students.”
10.“My catholic high school had a ‘Sophomore Welcome Week’ where small groups of incoming sophomores were auctioned off to seniors to be their ‘slaves’ for a week. Yes, my school had a slave auction every year. All the money raised went back to the school.”
11.“During the late ’80s, if I missed the bus home, I’d ask teachers for a ride home, and a few of them did drive me at various times. It was just my teacher and I in their personal vehicle. That would never happen today.”
12.“We would routines get our mouths taped shut, usually with masking tape, but one teacher used duct tape. If you got caught talking in the hall, you’d get your mouth taped shut. If you were caught talking in class, your mouth got taped shut. If you were caught talking in the cafeteria during lunch, you got your mouth taped shut.”
13.“During my senior year in 1976, my teacher took us on a field trip to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I don’t remember where we were supposed to be going, but it wasn’t there.”
14.“I carried a pocket knife every day, and nobody batted an eye or cared. This was in the late ’80s/early ’90s.”
15.“Teachers smoked in the classroom up until the ’70s.”
16.“The school nurse took each student’s weight and height measurements in front of the entire class. These were reported on quarterly report cards. There was plenty of shaming and humiliation.”
17.Lastly: “Eighteen-year-old seniors were allowed to leave campus and have a beer with lunch. Coming back drunk was against the rules, of course.”
As a Gen Z’er, I cannot even fathom any of these things happening, and I’m honestly glad they don’t any more! If you’re an older adult, what common, everyday things went down in school that definitely wouldn’t be considered okay today, or would have younger folks totally shocked? Let me know in the comments, or you can anonymously submit your story using this form!
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
