1980s elementary school notes

Kids passed notes. You just got some ready early, or you made them very quietly. You’d hear kids tearing paper to fold into little balls to be thrown. The teacher would be scratching at the board with chalk, and the notes would fly.

A note would hit someone, bounce off their head or shoulders. The person would dart a glance to see who threw it, make eye contact, pick it up, discretely read it, use or replace the note, and toss it at someone. These were like memes. Students would pass notes with yo mama jokes on them, tic-tac-toe, knock-knock jokes, drawings, gossip, insults, directions on who it should go to next.

Some notes were larger. Some made fun of staff and students. Some had spicy gossip mixed with bullshit and marginalia. Some notes caused trouble. Some of the more crafted notes made it out of the room. Some notes travelled into other classrooms and circulated. Some notes would be reclaimed on buses by students from other schools or grades, and the system would deepen into the day-to-day need for diversion.

I forgot to mention unwanted notes were used as spitballs. Spitballs got you detention.