There was a time in the lives of many 80s kids in Arkansas where you weren’t anybody if you didn’t have a Trapper Keeper. There are also many Arkansans out there from the 60s and 70s and earlier who cringe or smile (according to memory) at the term “ditto sheets” or the name “Pee-Chee”. College kids filled up blue books. Lunchboxes that weren’t properly latched spilled out all your edible business if you happened to be running to catch the bus. Oh yes, fellow Arkansans – we remember the old school days of our youth!
Ambitious Arkansas students who went on to further their education at the post-secondary level will surely remember the dreaded blue book exams (especially students of the history and literature)...how many hours were spent cramming knowledge just to fill up these innocuous-looking test booklets?
Arkansas students of a certain age can recall the bluish-purple print and distinct scent of a sheet of ditto paper hot off the press. Before we had fancy copiers that can duplicate, collate, and staple, teachers swore by the secretive master copies that were kept filed and hidden away from nosy students looking for answer keys.
Arkansas kids of the 80s and 90s could tell you about the various colors and styles of Trapper Keepers, but Arkansans of prior generations will remember the Pee Chee folder as a must-have item for storing school papers and other stationery necessities.
If you attended Arkansas schools in the 80s...you weren't anybody if you didn't have a Trapper Keeper. Sure, they had really great three-ring folders, but the hot accessory to have was the three-ring binder with the velcro closing flap!
What is now a valued collector's item and ironic accessory for hip youngsters was once necessary for an everyday Arkansas kid's PB&J and cookies. Sure, lunchboxes evolved into less-noisy plastic carriers and eventually into cooler totes made of high-tech fabric, but nothing quite beats the look and feel of the old-school metal lunchbox.
The school bus stop was often a focal point of many before and after-school misadventures for Arkansas students. What could start out as friendly banter between kids in the morning could easily escalate to "let's settle this when we get off the bus" affairs. The bus stop was also a great place to catch up on gossip as well - by the time you got to school you knew the business of at least two of your fellow classmates.
Some of the best memories of Arkansas students is that of a great Homecoming game, parade, or dance. The height of school pride, Homecoming events are still hailed across the Natural State as must-not-miss gatherings for students and their friends and families.
Now that we’ve taken this trip down memory lane it’s nearly time to get ready for the upcoming school year. How far have we come these days, anyway? The nostalgia of “old-school” Arkansas only makes the influx of today’s classroom technology seem more intimidating! Did we miss any key nostalgic school experiences from your youth? Tell us in the comments below!
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