Massachusetts School Superlatives From 1989 Were Wild

My family got together over the weekend for some St. Patrick's Day festivities. While we were there, my sister got a visit from her lifelong friend, who brought along a document she found from when they were kids.

The paper was an end-of-year school superlatives sheet listing various superlatives created by the teacher.

We were howling at the categories that were perfectly acceptable in 1989.

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At first glance, we thought maybe the teacher had to stretch the categories a bit to ensure everyone "won" something – but that wasn’t it. The same six kids seemed to win them all.

Like it or not, our kids’ culture is much, much different than it was when we were growing up. Some people think it's good that we are more politically correct in 2025, while others believe that the way we thought in the 1980s helped kids grow up without being offended by every little thing.

Take a look at this list of superlatives and see how many you think would fly in today's elementary schools in New Bedford, Dartmouth or Old Rochester. Take your pick!

My wife, a fourth-grade teacher, thinks she would be fired if she ever rolled out some of these superlatives. My sister is convinced that if this list were released in a fourth-grade classroom today, it could possibly make national news.

I mean, if a parent saw that their kid was labeled "class pest" or "best looking?" I just can't imagine. "Class flirt?" For a fourth grader? But no one blinked in 1989.

Were we raising our kids better in 1989, or now?