Back in the day...

So recently Buzzfeed posted this article:  15 Things We Did At School That Future Students Will Never Understand.  Yes, I have a love of Buzzfeed that is ridiculous, because most of the time I argue with the computer while reading the article...but usually I have to give them credit for at least being funny.  Ok, this was funny, but I'd like to submit some corrections or additions...here we go...

Ok, let me address these by number--you may want to open up the article in another window so you can see the original post, too...he, he, he..

1.  Copy notes from an overhead projector--ok, I'm all for technology, but we still have an overhead projector in one of my classrooms.  I co-teach with a guy who has taught for 27 years and still has overheads that could possibly be that old.  He whips out the projector a few times a month.  And I giggle.  I prefer a doc cam--which, of course has exactly the same issues as an overhead..."Miss!  Your hand is covering #3!!"....and are very popular, so difficult to have in my classroom every day, so I occasionally wish for an overhead of my own instead of a shared doc cam...

2.  Secretly pass notes in class--ok, this doesn't happen as much any more in the high school, most text each other...but I still occasionally find a treasure on my floor.

3.  Write on the Chalkboard with real live chalk--ok, this doesn't happen either...I think we have replaced all the chalkboards with White (Wipe?) boards at my school...I don't know which is "worse" though...chalk dust or marker smell...and we still write "Save" and the janitor (or the teacher/s we share classrooms with) still erase...eesh.

4. Make textbook covers out of paper grocery bags....um, never did it?  This is a foreign concept to me...my kids use store-bought stretchy covers...

5.  Tear off the edges of dot matrix paper--yeah, that was oddly satisfying...and doesn't happen.  But there are still paper stringly things on note book paper...that are left on the floor and stick to the carpet. Blah.

6.  Check out library books with the due date stamped in the back...Um...I think my school still does this...last week I checked out a portable DVD player and it had one of those date stamp things on it and the librarian stamped the due date (shoot...it is 3 days overdue...do you suppose they are going to charge me?)

7.  Watch educational programming supported by viewers like us---um, we don't use VCR's...but we stream PBS videos...not sure why they think this went away...maybe just the VCR part?  But the kids still yell "we passed this part...fast forward...go back..." on a streaming video.  Oh, and my co-teacher from #1 still has a VCR/DVD in his classroom...and has shown VHS tapes (I mean, really, how much has the Civil War changed?)  Although I keep telling him that almost everything we show is on YouTube now...

8.Sharpen pencils by hand...um...ok teacher friends, someone better comment on  these, because I'm beginning to feel like maybe my school is stuck in the dark ages or something...we still have hand sharpeners on the wall by the door in every classroom.  Some of us have electric sharpeners, too...but I like the hand sharpeners best, usually...Someone keeps "stealing" the covers though, so in a bunch of the rooms the trashcan is now under the sharpener to catch the shreddings.

9.  Carry around giant five-subject and binders--this didn't go away either...ok, they don't look like the one in the picture, but just yesterday one of my students unzipped his giant Trapper Keeper (really) to show me his assignment.

10.  Sell magazines door to door--no, now they sell "Spirit Cards" and food items, that are more expensive and they don't win prizes.

11.Be Mom to buy Goosebumps and Animorphs at the book fair--?  Still have book fairs, my 9 year old still begs me to buy Goosebumps...ummmm...Still get and buy book orders...

12.  Save our work onto 1.44 MB floppy disks---he, he, he...ok, this doesn't happen...it was harder to misplace a floppy than it is to misplace a flash drive though!

13.  Learn to type from memorizing nonsensical mnemonics--it is too bad we don't do this...no one knows how to type and it is assumed that everyone can...bring back typing class!!!!

14.  Look up words on an electronic spell checker--nope, don't do this either, although one of these spell checkers pops up every so often in one of my classes--the week that all the laptops are checked out and the district wants to hand a kid with an IEP "something".  I just hand them my laptop at that point...I never could work those Franklin spell checkers!

15.  Lose an ox while fording the river..No, now "everyone" plays Smurf Village.  I miss Oregon Trail...at least it required planing?  Or not...