Not only did school in the ’70s look different than today, but many things considered “normal” were actually really, really strange. We recently asked adults who went to school in the ’70s what “normal” things used to occur, and they flooded our comments with some wild responses.
Here are the most shocking ones:
1.“In the late ’70s, during the gas crunch, I would take my teacher’s caddy and wait in line to get her gas.”
—Anonymous
2.“In ninth grade, I was knocked out during football practice. They gave me smelling salts, called my mom to get me, and sat me on a stool in the parking lot. 1979.”
—Anonymous
3.“I was a student bus driver for my junior and senior years in high school (class of ’72). We drove the bus home and parked them at our homes. The first time I ever drove in snow or ice was with my school bus full of kids.”
—Anonymous
4.“If there was a tornado drill or an actual tornado, all of the students would move to the hallway, and the girls would kneel down, and the boys would lean over the girls to protect us.”
—Anonymous
5.“In the early ’70s, in a large city, seventh and eighth graders were sent to lower grades to cover classes until a substitute could be found. As a member of the ‘future teachers’ club, I was sent regularly.”
—Anonymous
6.“In the early ’70s, in junior high (seventh and eighth grade), we petitioned the school board to allow girls to wear slacks and jeans instead of dresses and skirts. We won!”
7.“In my senior year at a high school in the suburbs of Detroit, they had a room called the student service center. The main purpose of it was for any student that got too high for class to come and relax and listen to the stereo. They also had a stoner counselor who would talk you down and make sure you didn’t need medical attention.”
—Anonymous
8.“Regarding boys and girls sports, girls were not allowed to play competitive sports, including swimming, football, or baseball. Instead of competitive swimming, girls were offered synchronized swimming. We were told that because we were girls, we couldn’t play the different ball games because it would cause a change in our pelvic area where we wouldn’t be able to bear children. Didn’t understand that one then and still don’t.”
—Anonymous
9.“In high school, in 1970, my friend pierced my ears for a demonstration speech in front of the class. One girl passed out watching.”
—Anonymous
10.“My elementary school had a cinderblock ‘burn pit’ (about 12’x12′) directly behind the cafeteria and beside the kids’ bike racks and playing fields. The janitor would toss trash from the cafeteria, like empty milk cartons, and burn them every day. Kids would always be hanging around it. Walking past it. No adults around.”
—Anonymous
11.“If you had a beef with someone at my high school, the PE teacher would give both kids some boxing tips and then have them settle it in the gym with gloves like gentlemen.”
—Anonymous
12.“When I was in first or second grade, there was a demonstration in my classroom on the dangers of smoking where the person doing the demonstration would light real cigarettes and put them in the mouths of mannequins that had real human lungs to show how the lungs would change. Guess they didn’t think about second-hand smoke in those days.”
—Anonymous
13.“My high school class had a trip to a mortuary and got to look inside the crematorium while a body was in it.”
—Anonymous
14.“NJ high school (1970): If you had a parentally signed permission slip (or a well forged one), you could smoke outside between classes in specially designated areas.”
—Anonymous
15.“In junior high, I had a teacher who would regularly pass around a hat for us to put money into to buy treats for the class. As soon as the hat went around and everyone contributed, one student was selected to run across the street to the grocery store and select the treat during class time.”
—Anonymous
16.“I went to elementary school in the late ’70s/early ’80s, and the only fence was around the kindergarten playground. There were no fences around the rest of the school or playground. Anyone could venture on or off campus, yet no one did.”
—Anonymous
17.“In the early ’70s, I was in junior ROTC at my high school. I was on the shooting team. They provided me with a 22-caliber handgun and ammunition to take home so I would have it for shooting competitions. We didn’t even have any adults supervising us at the competitions. I got a high school letter for my performance like football and basketball players.”
—Anonymous
18.“I graduated high school in 1978 and went to the ‘Free Alternative’ school in Woodlawn in Arlington, VA. After the ceremony on our school grounds, we had four kegs of beer for everybody (who was 18).”
—Anonymous
19.“In 1976, in my advanced English/public speaking class, our first speech was to be a demonstration speech. I demonstrated how to disassemble, clean, and reassemble a 12-gauge shotgun. No one thought anything about me having this weapon in school.”
—Anonymous
20.“I was in seventh grade in 1977 (public school), and we had a class called ‘Values.’ It taught moral values and the differences between wrong and right.”
—Anonymous
21.“In the late ’70s, before the AIDS epidemic, we took each other’s blood samples to type test and time clotting.”
—Anonymous
And finally…
22.“In 6th grade, back in the ’70s, we had field trips to Schlitz Brewery in Wisconsin to see how beer was made.”
—Anonymous
Adults who went to school in the ’50s— what “normal” things used to happen that are unheard of today? Let us know in the comments below, or use this Google Form to remain anonymous.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length/clarity.
Source Agencies
