The Glaring Difference Between New England Schools in the ’90s and Now

Times change, and you either have to change with it or get left behind. And that goes for everything -- for humans, for businesses, for schools -- everything.

And with so many memes lately mentioning how the time gap between the '60s and '90s is the same as the '90s to present day, or even comparisons to the movie Back to the Future where if it happened today, Marty McFly (the main character) who travels 30 years into the past would travel back to the '90s, it made sense to compare the '90s and today.

Obviously, there have been a ton of technological advances in the last 30 years -- the internet, working from home, streaming services, smart devices -- you name it, it's advanced.

And that includes a glaring difference between schools from the '90s to now, especially in New England.

And regardless of the differences in the above example of Salem High School in Salem, New Hampshire -- the glaring difference is not a physical appearance.

Schools in the '90s

If you were a student in the '90s, especially in New England, then you know getting a day off was a rarity. Unless it was built into the school year calendar for a Teacher's Workshop or a holiday, very rarely did you get a day off, at least in certain New England school districts.

A blizzard could hit the area but if the plows were able to clear the roads enough for buses to be operational, you were in class that day, no questions asked. Torrential downpour? Bring an umbrella, kid. A cancelation was a big deal because it never happened.

On the plus side? It helped students avoid being in school well into the summer, at least.

School in Today's Time

Fast forward to present day, though, and it seems like it doesn't take much for school to get canceled throughout New England.

A strong windstorm? Canceled. A few inches of snow? Maybe a delay, but probably a cancelation. A soaking rainstorm? Well, just check out a brief capture of a quote on Facebook from a New Englander who was in school back in the '90s:

Solar Eclipse School Closings

All that said, when you really think about it, though, this is probably no different than students in the '90s hearing all about how their parents and grandparents "used to have to walk to school during a blizzard, up hill, both ways."

Times certainly do change.