Things we used in school years ago that are (sadly) no longer around

Nowadays, kids are growing up in a different world than almost 20 years ago. Then, schools had strict dress codes, and classroom lessons would have freaked modern-day kids. Over the years, there have been several technological changes, and many things have disappeared from schools and classrooms.

The chalkboard is one of the most essential items to disappear from modern-day schools. Many of you might remember doing math or cursive on them. It was also a nice treat when teachers would ask you to dust out the erasers while everyone had to stay inside. Nowadays, these chalkboards are replaced with smart boards.

Apart from the chalkboards, there were also chalk holders, which could be used in several ways. Teachers loved using them when they had to write out music or teach penmanship. It was also an excellent item to duplicate notebook lines or graph paper. Back in the good old days, teachers also had location charts and diagrams hanging above the chalkboards to teach students. These days, Google maps have made it easier to find locations.

Card Catalogs in the library are another item that is no longer found in schools. The pattern in which the cards were stacked was unique, and you could not even use it unless you understood the “Dewey Decimal System.” Kids nowadays can’t understand the hassle their millennial counterparts had to go through just to find a book. Now everything about books is available in just a few clicks on the computer.

Changes in school are also found in physical education or gym classes. There was no better stress reliever than slamming a rubber ball at a classmate’s face at a game of dodgeball. However, nowadays, this game is found to be aggressive and is not a part of the school games anymore. Analog clocks have been replaced by digital watches. Hence, most kids today find it hard to read analog clocks.

You might also remember using the mounted pencil sharpeners before a test. However, most students use mechanical pencils nowadays. Hence, most have yet to learn how it feels to stand in line to use the pencil sharpener. The slide rule was used for calculation in the good old days. The best thing about it was it did not need batteries.

Teaching was also engaging in the old days. If students needed help understanding a lesson, teachers could bring a reel-to-reel projector to better understand the topics. Students loved to be the ones to control the projectors. Eventually, these teaching tools gave way to the TV-VCRs, which have also disappeared. Even report cards are digitized nowadays. Schools have changed a lot over the years, and many items have long gone but can never be forgotten.

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