How was the high school experience?

[jasonc]

This brings up another memory. We were not allowed to use calculators in high school. Everything had to be done by hand and we were required to show our work so the teacher could tell if we used a calculator or not even at home.

Ten years after I graduated from high school, I enrolled in a technical institute automated systems maintenance program. This was a 2-year program that touched on many topics including Integrated Circuit (IC) board level electronics, electrical motor control circuits, conduit installation and bending, hard-wiring relays, switches, photo sensors, capacitive sensors, and actuators, Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) programming, Computer Numerical Control (CNC) programming, pneumatic and hydraulic controls, National Electrical Code (NEC) study, and technical writing.

When analyzing IC board level electronics we worked with very small numbers, sometimes carrying up to 12 places past the decimal point. At that time the only calculator I had was a solar powered simple math calculator. It had minimal functions including add, subtract, multiply, divide, square root, and maybe inverse but that was it. I was about 30 years old then and of course most of my classmates were fresh out of high school. To work with those small numbers, I used scientific notation along with my simple calculator to solve the problems. My younger classmates were amazed. Apparently this was no longer taught in schools so it was new to them. It would have been about the same for me if someone was using a slide rule for I was never taught how to use one of those. I almost made it through both years of the program using that simple calculator but eventually had to break down and buy a new Texas Instruments TI-35 because it was getting too difficult to complete the math work on my tests in the given time allowed. Today, the calculators on our phones are far more capable.

You can buy scientific calculators before smart phones that graphed functions .I had one .I had to use it for a few math classes in college .

Algebra,and business calculus and statistics. It was a must in class for the calculus.

 

[for_his_glory]

I'm the old dog that graduated in 1973 (50 years ago, ugh!!!) and we had none of these technology things we have today. Used a rotary dial phone as there were no cell phones. Used a record player, eight tracts and cassette tapes to play music. No such thing as a home computer back then or digital games. Did not live in a digital world like we do today and think we were better off without all these technologies.

School, I was like a rebel without a cause and barely graduated. I think I spent more time in the Principles office then I did in classes. Back then I hated school, but looking back now I wish I would have applied my self better to my studies and chose a career path.

 

[WIP]

I'm the old dog that graduated in 1973 (50 years ago, ugh!!!) and we had none of these technology things we have today. Used a rotary dial phone as there were no cell phones. Used a record player, eight tracts and cassette tapes to play music. No such thing as a home computer back then or digital games. Did not live in a digital world like we do today and think we were better off without all these technologies.

School, I was like a rebel without a cause and barely graduated. I think I spent more time in the Principles office then I did in classes. Back then I hated school, but looking back now I wish I would have applied my self better to my studies and chose a career path.

Vinyl albums. Spent many hours in music stores fingering my way through countless albums.

A system something like this paired with a turntable and nice set of speakers and we thought we had the world by the tail.

 

[jasonc]

Lol. Don't indulge me on that hobby .

Glass bottles ,root beer floats

 

[jasonc]

Some of us are old enough to remember before the 911 system .

Jo-3387 etc

 

[hawkman]

2-speed power glide.

Such a great automatic transmission , tough , hotrod crowd raced with them . Friend had a 69 Chevelle with a power glide and a 350ci V8 , drove it quit often . Relative owned a Chevy II with a Torque-Drive transmission , no clutch but you had high or low your choice but it did not shift for you $68.75 option over 3 speed manual , lol .

I almost bought a 1967 Ford Mustang with a 302 V8 outfitted with a 6-pack.

Three deuces , nice ! Never seen a Mustang with that set-up . I did see a Mustang with two 4 barrel carbs , a Shelby 500 , the owner said he used half and half , AV gas and 93 octane . This one is original , unrestored too .

 

[hawkman]

This brings up another memory. We were not allowed to use calculators in high school. Everything had to be done by hand and we were required to show our work so the teacher could tell if we used a calculator or not even at home.

Ten years after I graduated from high school, I enrolled in a technical institute automated systems maintenance program. This was a 2-year program that touched on many topics including Integrated Circuit (IC) board level electronics, electrical motor control circuits, conduit installation and bending, hard-wiring relays, switches, photo sensors, capacitive sensors, and actuators, Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) programming, Computer Numerical Control (CNC) programming, pneumatic and hydraulic controls, National Electrical Code (NEC) study, and technical writing.

When analyzing IC board level electronics we worked with very small numbers, sometimes carrying up to 12 places past the decimal point. At that time the only calculator I had was a solar powered simple math calculator. It had minimal functions including add, subtract, multiply, divide, square root, and maybe inverse but that was it. I was about 30 years old then and of course most of my classmates were fresh out of high school. To work with those small numbers, I used scientific notation along with my simple calculator to solve the problems. My younger classmates were amazed. Apparently this was no longer taught in schools so it was new to them. It would have been about the same for me if someone was using a slide rule for I was never taught how to use one of those. I almost made it through both years of the program using that simple calculator but eventually had to break down and buy a new Texas Instruments TI-35 because it was getting too difficult to complete the math work on my tests in the given time allowed. Today, the calculators on our phones are far more capable.

My background is electronics too , consumer stuff I worked on , Good old days ! About the time you were at the Tech Institute I was at a factory school learning to repair VCR's .

 

[hawkman]

Some of us are old enough to remember before the 911 system .

Jo-3387 etc

I remember numbering houses for 911 .

 

[evenifigoalone]

I was homeschooled after 3rd grade and finished highschool through GED in 2014. So my highschool experience may not have been terribly different, aside from like..... being at home and going to group functions.
One thing they didn't have when I first started homeschooling was co-op classes.... though would have been nice. I was a teenager by the time they had that option.

Technology-wise..... eh. My computer had a boob-tube monitor until like 2011?, and I used the computer for some of my schooling as some of the curriculum was online. My household was slow to advance with technology, so we even still used VHS tapes until idk.... 2009? 2010? The curriculum we used in middle school had an VHS set option.

 

[for_his_glory]

Vinyl albums. Spent many hours in music stores fingering my way through countless albums.

A system something like this paired with a turntable and nice set of speakers and we thought we had the world by the tail.

View attachment 15867

I remember the old Pioneer systems with the big speakers back in the 70's. Those speakers could blow the windows out.

 

[Josef]

I am now 10th grade this school year for my school, and I am interested to know anyone's experience in high school before, how life was different, different technologies, etc.

Hey All,
Enjoy your high school years all you can SailorWriter. These may very well be some of the best times of your life. This is where you can discover your passion in life and start to pursue a way to monetize it.

I loved sports, and I loved building things. I lifted weights most of my adult life, and became a mechanical technician specializing in building prototypes of components for satellites and other things. When you watch satellite TV, part of that is me up there. So get everything you can out of your high school experience.

I graduated in 1975.
The world was just starting to transition from electron tubes to solid state technology. Integrated circuits (chips) had just started to be made for public use.
Quazar just started advertising an all solid state, except for the picture tube, TV.
Gas was about $.65 -.70 cents a gallon.
I drove a VW bug with a sunroof. (Very cool in southern California) That thing was tough as a tank.
I had one of those TI calculators with scientific notation. I needed it for college. It was state of the art, replacing my manual calculator, which was called a slide rule. (Do you even know what that is?) The price for it back then $120; and that is in 1975 dollars.
My first job was working part time at Sears. I was big and strong so they hired me to bring people's large item purchases up from the stock room, and out to their cars. I was paid $2.50 an hour. (The big bucks)
Cassette tapes were replacing 8 tracks.
Video games were also just starting to become main stream. Pong had just been introduced.

A lot has changed. It is a different world now. Back then it was a mystery how everybody would be able to see the return of Christ.

Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

Today it can easily be done. I can see we have moved closer to the end times. So that's cool to observe prophecy being fulfilled.

Do you see what a mistake this was SailorWriter? You got the old guy talking about his pasi. (Will he ever shut up?) Yeah, that's enough for now.

Keep walking everybody.
May God bless,
Taz

 

[hawkman]

When you watch satellite TV, part of that is me up there.

Thank you Josef ! I did make a little coin off of Dish Network when they first started .

Quazar just started advertising an all solid state, except for the picture tube, TV.

" Quasar , works in a drawer ! " those modules were pricey though .

 

[jasonc]

For me ,I would submit the army was better then my high school days .less of the drama .where I live we have a unwritten class caste system.

The wealthy ,the poor and middle class . Also the normal subsets.the army has its sub sets of cliques but nothing like that .

I was often found in the dojo if there was a class I was there. If not I was practicing kata .I would practice for hours . Kicks ,punches ,one steps ,and also the tkd variation called three step drills .

 

[hawkman]

where I live we have a unwritten class caste system.

Oh yeah pretty much everywhere I think , "clicks" as they say also . Jocks , marching band , smart kids , wild kids , etc.

Also the normal subsets.the army has its sub sets of cliques but nothing like that .

They want you to be a G.I. , government issue . Shaved heads and a cohesive fighting unit .

 

[jasonc]

Oh yeah pretty much everywhere I think , "clicks" as they say also . Jocks , marching band , smart kids , wild kids , etc.

They want you to be a G.I. , government issue . Shaved heads and a cohesive fighting unit .

There is that but believe me we are Not robots.

The cliques are more along the lines of officers versus enlisted ,enlisted and NCos .

The e4 mafia .

I can post a few videos of habitualine crosser,one punch dad ,the later being a prior NCO now a warrant and the stereotypes he uses are what I'm talking about .I get the fraternization regs .

We have the motor heads ,the nerds ,the athiests,the MMA,martial arts guys,the christians and other faiths and drunks and bar hoppers .

It isn't about individually as you can't win a war ,even the church ignores that ,but you deny your civilian nature and learn to submit .

As a vet I find few in the church can grasp team work like the military.

 

[D-D-W]

My freshman year of HS started in the fall of 1969. We had just landed on the moon and had Woodstock. (I wanted to be there SOOOOO bad) The music was great and the skirts were super short.

Tech was non existent. In my sophomore year I took typing (my mom insisted I take it for college papers) and we had mechanical typewriters. The advanced secretarial classes got the electric ones. In Chem class we got to physically handle liquid mercury.

In the HS library there was a book (no joke) that taught you how to make an atomic bomb at home. The only thing left out was the actual critical mass of U-235 and where to get some.

Teachers were allowed to physically punish students. One math prof used a wooden paddle with holes drilled in it.

There were LOTS of druggies, I remember they found one girl passed out in her locker.

There was a policy on taking guns to school. There was a sizable woods behind the school property that was open to hunting. If you brought your shotgun, you had to go to the front office. Show them your hunting license, gun and ammo. They inspected the gun, and took the ammo. The gun was to remain in your locker for the day and at the end you could retrieve your ammo and go to the woods and start shooting. It was not considered a problem in any way. Almost every one carried a pocket knife. Even hunting knives were ok.

There was an extremely funny thing that happened in 10th grade biology (Still makes me laugh) but I will probably have to share that in a PM. A bit to saucy for the general discussion.

When I graduated (1973) I was 6'2" and weighed 155 lb. I had shoulder length hair and very wide mutton chop sideburns (full beards were forbidden) I was in marching band playing sax. LOVED it. We had a 6'6" tuba player that could do incredible blues runs on his instrument.

 

[miamited]

Hey WIP

The other was working as a gas station attendant in a town about 8 miles away ($1.62 per hour). Yes, we still provided full-service.

When I was in HS there was a trade class that taught all about being a gas station attendant. Yeah! Wash the windshield, check the oil and tire pressure while the gas was filling.

However for SailorWriter, consider the overhead projector. Also teacher pulling out the film projector when we were going to watch a learning film. The rattle, rattle, rattle as the film, on a big spool, wound through the machine. Then when it was over the end of the film slap, slap, slap until it got turned off. Sounded like when you put the cards in your bicycle spokes.

Yeah, there's a lot of old technology that served its purpose in those days.

God bless,
Ted

 

[jasonc]

Full service is a thing of the past .

 

[Christ_empowered]

I graduated 1 year early largely because I couldn’t handle the bullying etc. then I found out….
Ugh it’s kind of a controlled taste of the real world for teenagers.


I don’t know if graduating early is an option for you. Where I went to hs there was nothing on offer the next year for honors students. So…I graduated and took online college classes through a semi local school fall of what would have been my senior year. 3.5 gpa. My real downfall was going to a 4 year state school in another part of the state. Bad call

 

[Ella.]

I am in the UK, so my high school was a little different tech was very basic as this was in the late 80's -early 90s remember the music then was amazing as i very into music had tapes to play music then it went on to being cd's basic pcs i have bad memories from School as i was being badly bullies while at home i was being abused. but i managed to live through it and I am still here thanks to Jesus.