There are countless amazing teachers in the world, but there are some out there who just "get it."
History teacher and TikToker Malinda Nichols doesn't just teach history—she immerses her students in the worlds of different decades, generations, and historical events through costumes, decorations, fun facts, interactive activities, and the occasional party.
In the past months, Nicols has created immersive decade studies for the students to explore, including a '60s day to highlight that "Boomers weren't always out-of-touch old people."
Most recently, she collaborated with fellow elder Millennials and Gen Xers, the parents of the Gen Alpha students in her classroom, and put together a "Millennial Museum" for the students to explore.
Nichols and the parents gathered up various Millennial artifacts, from appliances found in the home like a rotary phone to fun toys that passed the time, like Nintendo GameBoys and Furbies. Beanie Babies even made an appearance!
Some of the parents even visited during the event to demonstrate how to use different game systems, electronics, and home appliances, and they answered questions, like how they used to make plans with their friends before texting was an option, or what songs and commercial jingles from their childhoods they still get stuck in their heads sometimes.
You can watch the video here:
@hipsterhistorywithmrsn Welcome to Part 2 of the Museum of the Millennial: curated by parents, gasped at by 6th graders. 🎧📼📟 This pop-up classroom exhibit TRULY had it all: ✨ Rotary phones (thought they figured it out but then they tried to “press the middle button to make it go through.” What a learning moment.) ✨ VHS tapes (Be Kind, Please….do what?) ✨ Folded hearthrob posters (Gen Alpha, meet #JTT and #DevonSawa) ✨ Beanie Babies (“My mom has purple princess one! Is it worth anything?!”) Not sure they were ready for ancient artifacts of the previous century, but when their parents SURPRISED them and showed up TO EXPLAIN IT ALL (like Clarissa), welllll, it wasn’t just a throwback…it was living tangible history. And it was hands down one of the very best days in my classroom EVER. If you love seeing classrooms bring history to life in creative and hilarious ways — follow for more reels like this! Let’s make history weird, fun, and unforgettable together. 🙌 👀 Want to bring this lesson to your own classroom? This is in my TpT store for free! The download even includes directions on creating the perfect AOL Screen Name and Away Message! #MillennialMuseum #PopCultureInTheClassroom #ReverseShowAndTell #AncientTech #MillennialParents #RetroRewind #MiddleSchoolMoments #HistoryIsCool #TeachersOfInstagram #Edutok #ClassroomReels #ThrowbackTeaching #90sKidsUnite #TeacherContentCreator #HistoryClassroom #HistoryTeacher
The students proved to be so invested in the experience, imagining the fun days of the '90s and the era their parents grew up in, that Nicols included a few other activities after the museum, like watching the beloved family film Casper.
@hipsterhistorywithmrsn Our 6th grade classroom turned into a pop culture time machine this week. Parents surprised students by bringing in “historical artifacts” from their own childhoods—growing up in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s—as we studied the decade of dial-up, denim, and discmans. We laughed. They gasped. We explained what a floppy disk was. This generation of parents didn’t just live history—we were the bridge from analog to digital, from mixtapes to MP3s, from landlines to livestreams. And maybe we’re only just realizing what a radical shift that was. To our kids, it’s ancient tech. To us, it’s memory lane. To historians… it’s officially history. #90sKids #GenX #MillennialParents #FromAnalogToDigital #RetroInTheClassroom #MiddleSchoolMagic #SocialStudiesClass #HistoryCameToLife #Edutok #TeachersOfInstagram #ThrowbackVibes #TBTEveryDay
Fellow TikTokers felt a mixture of amusement and nostalgia over the curated museum.
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Others were shocked that they were old enough to be included in a museum.
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Especially with how we're all presented on social media, it's easy to "other" each other and imagine each decade as completely different, separate, and unable to get along. But through explorative exercises like this, it's easier to imagine how someone else grew up, what life was like for them, and what they might actually have in common with the person looking at their memories.
Ms. Nichols has made printouts available to make it easier for other teachers to curate similar museums, and hopefully more Gen Alphas—and beyond—will be able to experience the fun of Millennials and other generations.