Ah, school supplies from back in the day—they weren’t as sleek, digital, or efficient as what students have now, but they sure had their charm. Today’s students, with their tablets and laptops, would probably get a good laugh at the tools we once thought were cutting-edge. Here are 10 old-school school supplies that would leave today’s kids in stitches.
1. Trapper Keepers
These bad boys were the must-have item for organizing your folders and papers in the ’80s and ’90s. With their Velcro closure and bright, neon designs, they were the ultimate status symbol. Today’s kids would probably wonder why we didn’t just use Google Drive.
2. Overhead Projectors
Remember when teachers had to use those bulky overhead projectors with transparent slides? And don’t forget the squeaky markers they used to write with! Today’s students would probably find it hilarious that this was the height of classroom technology.
3. Pencil Sharpeners (The Crank Kind)
No electric sharpeners or pre-sharpened pencils for us. We had the wall-mounted, hand-crank pencil sharpeners that required serious arm strength. Today’s kids would find the idea of manual sharpening as foreign as using a quill and ink.
4. Rubber Cement
Who needed a glue stick when you had rubber cement? That gooey stuff came with its own little brush, and let’s be honest, it was fun to peel off your fingers. It’s a far cry from the convenient, mess-free glue sticks kids use now.
5. Paper Book Covers
Kids today have custom cases and digital textbooks, but back in the day, we had to cover our books with brown paper bags from the grocery store. It was a DIY project every school year—and maybe the first intro to “upcycling.”
6. Protractors and Compasses
Geometry class wasn’t complete without a metal compass and a plastic protractor, both of which were more likely to break in your backpack than help you draw a perfect circle. Nowadays, students can whip out an app for precise angles and measurements—no sharp objects needed.
7. Chalk and Chalkboard
Before whiteboards and Smartboards, there was good ol’ chalk. Writing on a chalkboard came with the added excitement of nails screeching across it and clouds of chalk dust everywhere. Today’s students would be horrified at the thought of erasing with a dusty eraser.
8. 3-Ring Binders with Loose-Leaf Paper
Back in the day, organizing your notes meant stuffing everything into a 3-ring binder, often overflowing with loose-leaf paper that easily tore out. Today’s kids, with their cloud storage and neatly organized digital folders, would wonder why we didn’t just take notes on a laptop.
9. Floppy Disk Holders
Before USB drives and cloud storage, floppy disks were how you stored your files, and naturally, you needed a big plastic holder to keep all those disks organized. It’s hard to imagine explaining to a student today that you could only fit a few documents on one of those things.
10. The TI-82 Graphing Calculator
While the TI-82 still technically exists in some form today, its massive size and limited functionality would crack up students used to doing advanced calculations on their phones. Let’s not forget, these calculators were a must-have in math class—and cost a small fortune.
11. Typewriters
Today’s students would probably giggle at the sight of a typewriter, but this classic machine was once the backbone of writing and communication. Before spell-check and backspace buttons, every letter was a careful commitment. Typewriters required skill, patience, and the occasional correction tape to fix any errors—talk about a test of your typing prowess! The satisfying clack of keys and the rhythmic ding at the end of each line were music to a writer’s ears
12. Index Cards for Study Aids
Before flashcard apps, students relied on good old-fashioned index cards to create study aids. Whether it was for vocabulary words or important concepts, writing things down on these small cards was a common study method. Today’s tech-savvy kids would be puzzled by the idea of manually making flashcards instead of just downloading an app that does it for them.
13. Mimeograph
Today’s students might raise an eyebrow at the mimeograph, but this vintage device was a game-changer in classrooms decades ago. Before photocopiers and digital printers became the norm, the mimeograph allowed teachers to create multiple copies of assignments, worksheets, and notes using a stencil and a splash of ink. The process was a bit messy but oh-so-satisfying. There was nothing quite like the smell of fresh mimeographed pages wafting through the classroom! Sure, today’s kids would likely find the idea of cranking out copies by hand utterly baffling—especially with their sleek printers and instant access to digital files. But for Baby Boomers, the mimeograph was a trusty tool that brought a sense of creativity and community to the learning experience. Who knew that such a simple device could hold so much nostalgic value?
It’s fun to look back at the school supplies we once thought were essential, and it’s even funnier to think about how today’s students would react to them. Who needs rubber cement when you have digital sticky notes? It’s safe to say we’ve come a long way!
