Students were asked, 'What was the worst part about growing up in the ’80s?'—teacher wasn't prepared for the responses

The banter among different generations is pricelessly humorous. Seeing different age groups learn about the cultures, trends and lifestyles of previous decades is fascinating, as it is also surprising. A middle school teacher (@7thgradechronicles) in Palm Springs, California, has been testing his students’ knowledge of the previous generations. He asked his seventh graders to share what they thought was the “worst part about growing up in the 80s.” Being as unhinged and accurate as possible, the kids went all out to share creative answers and the professor and internet were both taken by surprise. 

The teacher has been documenting his journey with his students on TikTok. Several videos feature their opinions about different generations. One of the videos featured the hysterical responses of what “people in their 40s do for fun.” Right from “watching TV in black and white” to “counting coupons,” the youngsters left people in stitches. The seventh graders, currently the new generation, the Gen Alphas, have a vastly different lifestyle compared to the 1980s. So when the middle school teacher asked his students what they thought was the “worst thing growing up,” they didn’t hold back. 

He handed each of them a Post-it and asked them to share their unhinged responses. While one wrote “dealing with tuberculosis," the other went on a totally different tangent and noted, “This thing,” while pointing towards a vintage box television. “Having to read books not to be bored,” one wrote. “Drinking from a hose for fun. Like for what?” another added. With little doodles, sarcastic comments and whatnot, the kids exercised subtle creativity to the best of their ability. The responses were serious ones, like “child labour,” to ridiculously hilarious ones like “having to talk to people outside of school.”

One student mentioned, “When you’re trying to lock in but bro keeps talking about Charlie Chaplin.” Another made a note of “Going to war,” and it was really unclear what the kids thought of the era from their vivid perceptions. One observation from the teacher’s end was certain — the seventh graders thought that the 1980s were “so long ago.” Coming to the more expected response, one of the youngsters rightfully noted, “Getting spanked in your hand by the ruler from the teacher,” along with a doodle of a hand on a ruler. Surely, no generation was a fan of that. 

The last response caught many off guard. It read, “Being old now,” with a drawing of an elderly man with glasses and balding hair. Many people from the 80s came to the comments to share what they thought of the responses. Many agreed that while a majority were accurate, the tuberculosis one and a few others were just hysterically wrong. @stitchergirl wrote, “Hose water was delicious.” @heatherforreal25 explained, “We drank from the hose because we weren’t allowed to go in and the next time we went inside, we had to stay inside.” @matilda4085184 said, “I think they heard 1880s and not 1980s.” @spiffyshorts confessed, “I was the kid who kept talking about Charlie Chaplin. Sorry, everyone.” @carcar86 joked, “I feel old now. I’m 1986, but man, I'd better start looking into retirement homes now. Your students are funny!”

You can follow (@7thgradechronicles) on TikTok for more content on schooling, generations and humor. 

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