A Walk Down the Hallway of Time

Middle School Then vs. Now: A Walk Down the Hallway of Time

If you survived middle school in the late 90s, you probably remember a lot of awkwardness, chunky highlights, and the pain of getting kicked off AIM because your mom needed the phone.

And if you’re teaching or parenting middle schoolers today? Well, you know it’s a whole new world—faster, louder, techier, and somehow just as chaotic.

Middle school is still the land of growth spurts, bad decisions, and intense feelings. But the way it looks? Oh, it’s changed.

Let’s break it down.

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📟 Communication: Then

Late 90s:
If you wanted to tell your crush you liked them, you passed a folded note in homeroom or updated your AIM away message with lyrics from Savage Garden. If someone said “LOL” out loud, you looked at them funny.

Now:
Today’s middle schoolers are fluent in Snap, TikTok, and texting with zero punctuation. Entire friendships rise and fall based on whether someone “left them on delivered.”
Oh, and “LOL” is now ironically used, or replaced by skull emojis 💀.

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👕 Fashion: Then

Late 90s:
JNCO jeans. Mood rings. Plaid flannel over a graphic tee. Hair twisted up with butterfly clips. You either looked like you were in Clueless or trying to be in TRL.

Now:
Middle schoolers today dress like a combo of fashion influencers and cozy couch potatoes. Think Crocs with socks, oversized hoodies, and tiny crop tops. Somehow, the late 90s styles are making a comeback—only now it’s “vintage” (yes, that hurts to hear).

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📱 Technology: Then

Late 90s:
Your home computer weighed 40 pounds. Internet required dial-up and kicked you off if someone picked up the landline. Your “cell phone” (if your family had one) lived in the glove compartment and had no snake game yet.

Now:
Middle schoolers today are basically cyborgs. They have devices, earbuds, tablets, smartwatches… and somehow they still never charge any of them. They can edit video, build Minecraft cities, and Google their homework faster than you can say “Where’s your Chromebook?”

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📚 School Life: Then

Late 90s:
You had a planner with actual pen marks. You wrote essays by hand or in Microsoft Word 97. You maybe used Encarta to do research. And if you forgot your homework? You just… forgot it.

Now:
It’s Google Docs, online portals, and “Can I submit it on Canvas?” Homework now lives in the cloud—and excuses live in screenshots. Today’s middle schoolers ask AI to help with their thesis. (And yes, sometimes I catch them trying to make ChatGPT do the work. Cute try, kids.)

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🤯 Drama: Then

Late 90s:
The biggest drama? Someone told someone that someone else liked you. Notes were passed. There were rumors about who was going out (even though “going out” meant nothing more than awkward eye contact in the hallway).

Now:
Middle school drama still exists—only now it has digital receipts. Entire arguments unfold in group chats, then continue in person, then go right back to Snapchat. As a teacher or mom, it’s like being a part-time FBI agent.

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❤️ The Things That Haven’t Changed

Despite all the tech, trends, and new vocabulary (seriously, what does “rizz” mean this week?)—middle school is still middle school.

It’s still:

• Identity crises and changing friend groups
• Giggles in the hallway and mysterious smells in the locker room
• Finding out who you are and learning how to survive awkwardness
• Heartfelt “I hate this” rants… and secret love for certain teachers and friends

Whether it’s 1999 or 2025, the middle school years are where kids start figuring out who they’re becoming. It’s messy, emotional, and occasionally hilarious—and I wouldn’t want to miss it for the world.

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Final Thought:

If you’re a teacher or a parent, remember: they may look and act different than we did—but deep down? They’re still kids trying to fit in, stand out, be seen, and be loved.

So whether they’re folding notes or FaceTiming in the hallway, just know:
Middle schoolers are still just figuring it all out.
Same as we did.