40 Old Photos Show What School Looked Like in the 1970s

School was different back in the '70s. Students focussed on the basics.. reading, writing, and mathematics. They also learned how to write longhand, and some of them took great pride in their “penmanship”.

Back in the '70s, the personal computer was still very much in the realm of science fiction.. hand held calculators became available in the mid '70s, but they were expensive, and few kids had them. For the most part, students learned through listening to the teacher.. by doing their homework in notebooks, reading “real” books..

School back then seemed more rigorous than it is today. There was no such thing as “grade inflation”.. if you didn't do well then your grades reflected that. Some things are better today.. there's more awareness of bullying.. and less tolerance for it. There's more consideration given today to kids who may be different.. i.e. slow, challenged, gifted etc. Back in the day it was all more or less one big melting pot, and you either sank or swam.

Take a look at these old pics to see what school looked like in the 1970s.