The paper deals with school life in Austria. It examines how events in the classrooms were experienced by teachers and students, and what changes occurred over time. Starting from a representation of the educational policy framework, a multifaceted picture of school and daily school life is created. The basis for this consists of 46 eyewitness accounts from former teachers and students, spanning the period of the First and Second Republic. The numerous original quotes in the text impressively demonstrate that an individual's school life is shaped by very personal circumstances. Furthermore, it becomes clear that the field of education is also subject to constant change.