From The Archives: Back to School in 1980

Let’s see.. these days school starts in August instead of September, kids have phones and computers, and just about all of the school buildings are different (even the school system if you live in Chattanooga).

Plus the hair and clothing styles have changed.

But some things never change.

The kids are bored with summer, the buses look the same, and parents sure are glad to get their kids back in school.

So let’s take a trip back to 1980 to see if today’s moms and grandmoms were really so happy to go back to school when they were kids.

(see story to the left)

There were other differences in education back then.

Teachers were not a happy group back then.

Kids were harder to control, the profession wasn’t considered as professional, and teachers were on the verge of striking in Hamilton County for better pay.

So that same fall, we went to the old Hixson High to ask teachers about the status of their profession.

(second story on the left)