Teacher lists nine classroom practices removed over the years

The teacher recalled the thrill of receiving a spelling test on Friday afternoon marked with a large sticker for a perfect score after a week of study. She posted a video on TikTok under the name mommy_n_zachy that listed practices once common in elementary schools but now largely absent. Spelling bees once pitted classes against one another and then the top spellers from across a school in public competition that built excitement around accurate word use. Pocket dictionaries appeared on supply lists so students could look up unfamiliar words from their weekly lists during quiet desk time. Penmanship lessons filled part of the day so that written work remained legible while show and tell gave young children a chance to present objects they had made or received at home. Talent shows let students perform songs dances or short plays and creative writing periods allowed free expression before testing demands narrowed focus to exam formats. Science experiments with dyed flowers or potato batteries once occurred regularly yet hands on projects like these have disappeared in many city classrooms over the past decade. Cooking activities taught basic nutrition at a time when many students arrive with packaged snacks instead of balanced meals and the teacher ended her video by noting that restoring these elements could help children regain ground in core skills and imagination.