Started to school in 1965. Never had to buy a text book until I started college. However, each student was responsible for the care of the books assigned to him/her. If you returned a book in unusable condition or lost it you had to pay for it. Each student supplied his/her own pens, pencils, paper, notebooks, etc. School supplied the paper for tests and such. School I went to didn't have a copy machine. We had a mimeograph machine. Always liked to smell the ink when the teacher was running late and barely got the test run off just before class time. I'll never forget the smell of fresh mimeograph ink.

Furthermore, if you needed something to wipe your nose you either provided your own tissue, handkerchief, or shirt sleeve or you just let it run. You might go into the bathroom and get some toilet paper to blow your nose. There was no such thing as hand sanitizer. Just soap in the bathroom. Never heard of such a thing as being required to bring a ream of copy paper. If you didn't have a pencil you might be able to borrow one from your neighbor if you were lucky. Otherwise you could buy one at the school store for a nickle. But no one wore $150 sneakers to school either. If you could not afford a nickle pencil you certainly couldn't afford the high dollar sneakers.

If you did the work and passed the test you got promoted. If you did not do the work and did not pass the test you did not get promoted. Except for a couple of guys who were a real pain for the teachers. After they had been in the same grade for two or three years the teachers would sometimes pass them just to get rid of them. And if you were a really good athlete you might also get some special consideration by some teachers. If you were unruly you got the "board of education" applied to your seat. Your parents didn't come down to the school and threaten to sue everyone in sight. You addressed teachers and staff as "ma'am" and "sir." The only time you used a teacher's first name was if the teacher requested it and then it was always preceded by a Mr., Mrs., or Miss. There were lots of guns in school in those days, at least in the cars and trucks of the juniors, seniors, and teachers out in the parking lot, but nobody got shot. Even if you didn't fear God you at least feared the principal, assistant principal, the coach, and probably more than a few of the teachers. If you wanted an education you got it. If you didn't you at least did not prevent others from getting one.

Ahh, the "good old days." :-)