Nice selection of old photos! It's a lot of fun going through those, especially when you scan them in and get to take a closer look. I especially like the one of the classroom. Maybe it's because I taught... Anywsay, those rows are really far apart, especially by today's standards. It would have been hard to get away with pinching your neighbor or passing a love note!
Last year, I went through and cleaned up a bunch of photos for my mother using Photoshop. It was a lot of tedious repair of scratches and specs, but they came out beautifully. I even boosted the contrast and sharpness to bring back their former punch.
I thought it was fun seeing that 1940s classroom. I have scanned in and repaired hundreds of old photos. It took me months. I have 5 times as many yet to do and it is daunting!
It is certainly a substantial time investment, but fun to see how they come out.