To wonder about school in the 80s and 90s

[onceawhitetowel]

The reason I am asking is because I have horrific memories of school then.

Yet things on the whole seem better now.

When did things change?

I was at primary school in the 80s and secondary in the 90s and don't remember anything particularly "horrific", care to elaborate on that?

my school years (secondadry 78-82) not horrific. Things seem worse now, especially low level classroom disruption, which i would have hated back in the day as it would have been so hard to concentrate with certain children disrupting lessons.

Primary late eighties early nineties, secondary until early 2000s, had a lovely time

not sure what 'things' you're referring to?

my eighties schooling has happy memories

Just because you have horrific memories that doesn’t mean every school was the same

I started school in 77, and finished A levels in 1991. I don't remember anything horrific apart from the lunches

I went to senior school from 1997 to 2002 and didn’t really have a difficult time. Having internet at home was just starting to become popular but it wasn’t overwhelming like social media is now. I’d hate to go to school now with all the online pressure.

Teachers were a lot freer to bully students.

Primary 70s and secondary 1979-1984. Epic times.

Went to primary in the 80s. Secondary in the 90s. Hated school. Had additional needs. Teachers thought it was appropriate to humiliate me. Remember one teacher going ape shit because our jumpers would fall on the floor. I mean really losing it over something so insignificant. Bullying was overlooked. My children’s schooling experiences so far see like a million miles away from my own.

Depends where you were and your individual school. FWIW, I taught in the 80s and 90s and don’t remember anything horrific that isn’t still happening. Abuse, bullying, poverty...

I was bullied from the age of 10 to the age of 16, whenever I went to Sixth Form College - from ‘75 to ‘81 - basically the last year of primary school, and the five years of secondary school were utterly miserable.

Sixth Form was a bit better, but my feelings of low self esteem and depression were already very well engrained, and stopped me enjoying those years either.

I hope that schools and parents are much better at dealing with bullying now - neither my parents nor my school did anything about me being bullied.

I was at Primary in 70s and remember people getting the belt and rulers over knuckles, it was also a common occurrence to have the backboard duster or chalk thrown at someone. One teacher regularly punched me (LA's well as others) in the back with her knuckle until my dad went up to the school. I had 2 people in my class that never returned after one summer break having gone to a 'special school'.

I left in 1994 & can honestly say very few of the teachers should have been in that role, they were shit. I think there is far more support available for students in school now.

I was school 70's and early 80's.. Pretty nondescript really.

I agree high school in the late 90s was awful. The constant bullying by other kids and teachers. Very sad lonely time for me.

I was at senior school 78 to 83 and loved it

Started primary in 83 and secondary in 90, what do you mean by horrific?

I left sixth form in 1982. I don't remember anything bad. I would say it's bits are better, bits are worse. Same with everything really.

I loved primary and high school. In some ways, it was better. Our teachers took us out for a walk and we sat under a tree in the shade because it was too hot to work just because it seemed kind and spontaneous. No 3 day risk assessment and justifying the deviation to 14 officials first. Teachers seemed less shackled by the whims of Ofsted type demands, fewer "days" of dressing up, sponsor an otter, wear spots type stuff. It was lovely and somewhat simpler and I felt very looked after. Probably rose tinted in some ways but there's nothing horrific in my memories.

I was in school in the 70s and 80's.
At primary I was smacked on the hand with a ruler to stop me writing with my left hand.
High school was literally a free for all.

Primary in the 80's, grammar school in the 90's and I loved it! Nothing horrific at all. Maybe apart from the food

I remember that differences were not tolerated and that bullying was not addressed - you were expected either to toughen up or to avoid the bully. Not at all what I see now.

I did primary in the 60s/70s and secondary from 76-83. I enjoyed it on the whole. Bit of bullying, but good friends and basically good teaching. I started teaching myself in 1989 and really object to your comment NoFuckingRoom! Everyone I worked with then (bar 8ne horrific bully who picke don both staff and pupils) were good people doing a good job.

Doesn't it depend on where you went to school and who was in charge?

I suffered discrimination from my head at infant school. Looking back I think one of the teachers and her family suffered racial discrimination as they left the school but were still in the local area. However once I went to jurniors that changed as got decent heads from then on.

I also ended up knowing people who went to secondary in the next borough who had nothing expected of them so left school with no qualifications. Knowing people who later taught in the same area most had an uphill struggle with the heads in the schools plus sometimes with horrid parents, so moved elsewhere or left the teaching profession.