School policies, rules and culture have certainly changed over time, but by how much? Recently, Redditor u/ladidadi82 asked the seniors of the Reddit community to share common, everyday school experiences from “back in the day” that simply wouldn’t be allowed today, and some of them are so wild. Here are some answers that, depending on your age, will have you sifting through your school memories or sitting in complete shock:
1.“Girls had to wear dresses or skirts to school until the mid-70s.”
2.“We were allowed to bring a gun to school as long as it was left in your vehicle or you had a note from your teacher saying it was allowed in the building. It was common among kids hunting after school.”
—ThinkItThrough48
3.“Anyone could walk into the school, claim to be your parent, relative, or someone you know, and leave with you. No questions asked.”
4.“Teachers were allowed to discipline students by rowing them. Some teachers proudly displayed their rowing equipment in a row above the blackboard. The boards had handles for better swinging with little holes drilled in them for more stinging.”
—Syina
5.“During lunch, it was an open campus.”
6.“Ugh, I repressed the memory of open showers. I was a shy, awkward, and anxious kid who went to great lengths to avoid them.”
—remberzz
7.“I went to school in the 1970s. Back then the teachers didn’t stop bullying and sometimes they were bullies themselves. I remember many occasions when the teachers singled out children and made fun of them or insulted them in front of the whole class.”
8.“If you misbehaved, you had to sit in the corner and wear a silly hat.”
—Nanny0416
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 to sent back to school.”
—fcukumicrosoft
11.“In the late ’80s, if I missed the bus home, I’d ask the teachers to give me a ride home, and several of them did at different times. It was just my teacher and I in my personal vehicle. That would never happen today. .”
12.“We would routinely seal our mouths, usually with duct tape, but one teacher used duct tape. If you were caught talking in the hallway, your mouth would be taped. If you were caught talking in class, your mouth would be taped up if you were caught talking. in the cafeteria at lunch, you taped your mouth shut.”
—mrsbono2u
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 go, 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.”
—PrivateTumbleweed
15.“Teachers smoked in the classroom until the 70s.”
16.“The school nurse measured the weight and height of every student in front of the whole class. It was reported on the quarterly reports. There was a lot of embarrassment and humiliation.”
—OodaWoodaWooda
17.Finally: “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 can’t even imagine any of these things happening, and I’m honestly glad they don’t happen anymore! If you’re an older adult, what common, everyday things happened at school that today would definitely not be considered okay or would be completely shocking to younger people? Let me know in the comments, or you can submit your story anonymously using this form!
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
