School today is a whole different world from what we grew up with. The supplies and tech we relied on daily have either faded into history or become outdated relics. Let’s take a nostalgic stroll back through the items that once filled our desks and backpacks, from the basics of handwriting practice to the original classroom tech.
1. Mimeographed Tests and Handouts
Nothing could match the distinct smell of freshly mimeographed handouts, which was heavenly enough that students would volunteer to go grab newly-printed sheets just to get a sniff of it. The purple-inked pages and faded text gave schoolwork a signature feel. Printers have long since taken over, leaving mimeograph machines to gather dust in the history of education.
2. Cursive Handwriting Books
With handwriting books and those endless cursive drills, we spent ages learning a skill many schools don’t even teach anymore. With computers and tablets becoming primary writing tools, cursive has become a lost art—some kids today can’t even read it!
3. Chalkboards and Chalk Erasers
The iconic screech of chalk on a blackboard is seared into our memories. Teachers used to line kids up for eraser-cleaning duty, banging clouds of chalk dust into the air. Now, those chalkboards are mostly replaced by whiteboards, and in some cases, even digital screens.
4. Projectors
Remember the thrill of seeing your own report on the projector? Teachers would use those transparent sheets to explain everything from algebra to history, marker in hand. Today, PowerPoint presentations and smartboards have taken over, rendering these projectors museum-worthy relics.
5. Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Our classrooms were stocked with thick dictionaries and encyclopedia sets for reference, with dog-eared pages from years of use. Now, with instant internet access, the days of flipping through volumes of World Book or Encyclopedia Britannica are largely behind us.
6. Library Card Catalogs
Before we could simply Google a book title, we had to look it up in the card catalog. Each book had its own little card in drawers full of other cards. Libraries today are mostly digital, making the old catalog a long-lost memory for anyone under a certain age.
7. Film Canisters for Science Labs
Those old black film canisters were staples for science experiments—think baking soda and vinegar “explosions.” With everything digital now, those little containers don’t hold the same value, not to mention most kids today wouldn’t even recognize a film canister!
8. Paper Grade Books
In the days before digital grading, teachers had giant paper grade books, usually in bright colors, to record test scores and assignments. Now everything’s on school apps and platforms, where parents can see real-time grades with just a tap.
9. Paper Lunch Tickets
Instead of meal accounts or digital PINs, we had lunch tickets, sometimes a different color for each day. Kids had to hold on to these little slips all week! Now, lunch cards or even fingerprint scanners have replaced the ticket system.
10. Slide Rules
These were the “calculators” before calculators, and kids would learn to measure, divide, and even solve equations on these analog sticks. Today, slide rules have gone the way of the dinosaur, replaced by scientific calculators and even online math tools.
11. Trapper Keepers
These organized our school lives! Trapper Keepers with their bold colors, Velcro closures, and dividers for every subject were iconic in the ’80s and early ’90s. Now, kids have laptops or digital folders, so there’s less need for the classic binder.
12. Desk-Sized Dictionaries and Thesauruses
Classrooms once had a “go-to” dictionary or thesaurus on each desk row, usually with torn pages and scribbled notes. With online dictionaries and apps like Merriam-Webster, students hardly ever reach for a paper version anymore.
13. Wooden Pencils with Lead
Long before mechanical pencils or erasable pens, we had those real lead pencils that you had to sharpen constantly. The smell of freshly sharpened pencils is a classic school scent—but lead itself was eventually phased out for being unsafe.
14. Ink Wells in Desks
These may go back even further, but some of us remember those little holes in desks meant for ink wells, a holdover from an earlier time when kids used nib pens. Ink wells are long gone, but they bring back fond memories of old-school handwriting lessons.
15. Physical Snow Days
The excitement of waking up to a snow day announcement on the radio was unbeatable. Today, with remote learning tech, many schools just hold online classes instead. Snow days are quickly becoming just another nostalgia point for our generation.
16. Mercury Thermometers
Once a classroom staple, mercury thermometers were common in science labs. Eventually, we learned about the dangers of mercury exposure, and these fragile glass tools were phased out in favor of digital thermometers.
Remembering these items brings back a simpler, almost analog era of school life. Though classrooms have changed a lot, with more screens and fewer handwritten notes, these memories are a reminder of the time we spent learning in a world without Google Docs and instant access to information. It’s a different world now, but we were lucky to have learned the old-fashioned way.
