What was the most pointless thing your school made you do?

Montana 50's. freezing winter. We could only wear dresses or skirts to school. In grade school, we wore our jeans under our dresses and took them off in the hallway before we went to class. After school,we would put them back on so our legs wouldn't freeze on the way home.
 

Gaer said:
Montana 50's. freezing winter. We could only wear dresses or skirts to school. In grade school, we wore our jeans under our dresses and took them off in the hallway before we went to class. After school,we would put them back on so our legs wouldn't freeze on the way home.
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Same here...snowy Scotland minus - many degrees... .. Skirts to school for the girls... while boys were able to wear long trousers.!! Things didn't change to allow trousers for girls until my own daughter was in the 5th year ( 16 years old) which was approx 20 years after I left school
 

Most pointless thing was PE classes outdoors for girls, wearing only School shirts and Knickers... I mean navy pants, underwear knickers, not shorts!! It was humiliating, and especially as our sports field was directly outside the large glass windows of the Boys techi drawing classes..

They would never be allowed to do that now!!
 
hollydolly said:
Most pointless thing was PE classes outdoors for girls, wearing only School shirts and Knickers... I mean navy pants, underwear knickers, not shorts!! It was humiliating, and especially as our sports field was directly outside the large glass windows of the Boys techi drawing classes..

They would never be allowed to do that now!!
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Did you just say you had to do gym class outdoors in your underwear?!? WTH?!?
 
I actually find that there are few pointless things that are learned in school. Even if you never use the knowledge or skills during the rest of your lifetime it does give you a better understanding of the world we live in. I think there are far too many people who are ignorant about the way the world works these days.

I'd say the assignment that was the closest to being pointless for me was requiring that we write 20,000 words in a journal during the school year. I had a lot of pages with the word I repeated many times on the same page to get my 20,000 words. However I do see value in getting students more comfortable with writing but I would have preferred something that actually motivated me to write well rather than just shooting for a number.
 
hollydolly said:
Most pointless thing was PE classes outdoors for girls, wearing only School shirts and Knickers... I mean navy pants, underwear knickers, not shorts!! It was humiliating, and especially as our sports field was directly outside the large glass windows of the Boys techi drawing classes..

They would never be allowed to do that now!!
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This came up on another forum I am on.Our friends across the pond remain unconvinced.
 
Gaer said:
Montana 50's. freezing winter. We could only wear dresses or skirts to school. In grade school, we wore our jeans under our dresses and took them off in the hallway before we went to class. After school,we would put them back on so our legs wouldn't freeze on the way home.
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And I thought everyone did this. This was our norm.
 
In Kindergarten, "Nap Time." Around noon.
In elementary: History. In Jr. High: algebra, wood shop, metal shop, electric shop, P.E.
In High School - required English literature.
 
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I had a print shop class in HS that taught us typesetting. I never typeset, but I learned how to read upside down and mirror image. This came in handy at work when I could read something on a persons desk.
 
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I have long maintained that there are only two things that all children must learn. One is to read because then we can learn everything else we need from books (and now computers) when we need to. The other is learn to swim.

As a teacher of junior high school girls I decided that the most important thing they needed was to learn how to think (reason) but not necessarily what to think. To do this it was first necessary to impart some knowledge. Whether the knowledge was in the field of science, history, geometry, or bushcraft didn't matter. As long as there was something to engage the grey matter any subject would do. For some algebra is engaging but not for all. For others design and technology hits the spot. It helps if the teacher is enthusiastic about their subject, and finds satisfaction in developing young minds for unknown futures.
 
I have to agree with the Algebra, and also Latin being useless. Come on now...
By far, the most valuable thing I learned was taught by a wonderful Nun teacher...TYPING 101. Classic Touch Typing was by far the best and most useful thing I learned in school. Sister Mary Margret was a taskmaster to be sure and I have used what she taught me every day of my life. It's such a pleasure to sit here and not only type, but also proof read as I type, never looking down. Those of you who classically touch type know what I mean, but others don't.
 
Sliverfox said:
The horrid 3 piece gym suits we wore in gym class In high school.
There was a skirt with build in panty attached to button front blouse.

You had to step in the panty than twist to get blouse on,, than untuck the skirt from where it got caught on.
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We had one-piece puke green gym suits that were made of a thick broadcloth that wrinkled like mad. They were pretty much one-size-fits-none and length-wise they either were too short and annoyed you in the lower regions or they were too long and it looked like you were wearing a saggy diaper. Not even the prom queens looked good in them.
 
Keesha said:
I hated that kindergarten nap time thing too. Who wants to go to school to sleep on a hard floor with boys? Yuck! 🥺😅
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I remember mats being spread out on the floor.
Doesn't get much more stupid than forcing children to sleep in the middle of the day. The teachers probably used nap time to have a few drinks.....
 
1st. day of history class in the eleventh grade the teacher had if I remember right 7 black boards filled with what was in the 1st. chapter of our history books. We were supposed to copy everything she had written. About 10 minutes into the class she stopped by my desk & asked why I wasn't writing out the assignment. I said something to the effect I didn't need to I could read it in my book. That got me a trip to the principles office where I explained my side of why I was there. Thankfully I was reassigned another teacher. One that could actually get students interested in history.
 
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