That was so interesting to read about school life in the Thirties and then your own experience as a teacher yourself later on. I think it's much better to gain respect from another, rather than beating the crap out of someone.

I remember from school that the teachers that gained respect were in fact the ones that had a great personality and enthusiasm for the subject that they taught.

I agree with Miss N. Very interesting. I went to a Catholic school for three years and they were brutal. One nun used to throw books at those who didn't pay attention. In my day (and CP was abolished in my state in 1985), we were sent out in the hall and given a zero for the day. Let me tell you, that did the trick for a lot of us who were struggling.

B

In the late fifties and early sixties a well aimed board rubber with a large wooden back seemed to be the missile of choice for silencing pupils. Thank you for a very interesting article S

You reminded me that in our grammar school a smack round the head was so common in the lower forms as to become a joke amongst us even right into the sixth form when we had long since finished receiving them we still used the jocular expression "you'll get your head smacked for that."
The board rubber caused hilarity if it hit the wrong pupil which it often did.
The best teachers could control a form with a withering look or a couple of words though.
Our latin master used to delight in the expression "You boy are the apotheosis of asinine inanity."

Thank you - this is a fascinating account. I have also had to earn the respect of pupils through showing them respect, and trying to reach well! I chuckled at the line 'This part doesn't get hard'!

In my primary school, there were no CP, even though it was legal to administer. There were rumors that the female acting principal did have a long leather strap and she used it. At the time, I never knew anyone who got the strap. We were still very much afraid of her. Many years later, a former classmate told me that he got the strap from her. He went to her office and then was brought into a smaller office. There the door was locked and she would order him to lower his pants and underwear, to bend over a table. She would administer around ten or so strapping's..

At secondary school in the sixties I got hit on the crown of the head with a book the size of a King James bible propelled by an exasperated art teacher, I remember going dizzy for a second or two, it nearly knocked me out. All good fun eh.

What an interesting article. It sounds like you learned from the mistakes of others when you became a teacher.

Great article, Nibra, especially enjoyed your tone. No anger or resentment, just the way things were. Your deskhopping story reminded me of a similiar incident when I was in first grade and suffered a playground accident. Perhaps I'll write it up as a meditation on how seriously we took rules, back in the day.
Enjoyed your article; I love reading of those memories; I do not miss them, though
Nice job!
IC.

I was around miltary bases in Canada for most of my school days and in the late 50's and mid 60;s they still used the paddle and the strap. My friends in civilain schools were shocked that it happened, but I know there was a lot less disrespect in the schools I attended compared to the one for civilian children. Interesting to hear things about the 30's and 40's

Very interesting article, Nibra. I was a student in Poland in the early fifties and I remember witnessing only one occasion when the teacher punished four of the boys for ganging over another with three ruler slaps on each palm in front of the classroom. The boys had tears in their eyes but never really cried. After this collective punishment I asked my parents if the teacher had the right to do it. Their answer was that usually not, but those boys had to be taught that ganging on another was completely out of bonds.

It was the only time I witnessed a corporal punishment. I was 6 at that time and had not thought more about this until I was 9 and had the opportunity to swat my first female bottom.

Great story, I attended school in the late 50s and early 60s, for grade school the paddle was the weapon of choice but it stopped in after junior high, freshman year in the states, 14 years old. The principal was a very attractive lady who swung a mean paddle, mostly boys but some girls felt the sting. One problem was she was close with most parents who complemented her on her work.

A refreshingly different and informative article about school CP from the past.

Wonderful article, to learn of your experiences from "both sides of the coin" so to speak.
I read the comments page from the top to the bottom, which can confuse one if your reading references to a post before the post, and so it took me a moment to realize what a "board rubber" was, what we called simply the black board erasers. I do remember a few of those being pitched across the classroom, but the memory this brought to mind was of a teacher I had in 8th grade, ('66/'67) who threw the chalk instead, with an aim that would make it whiz past your ear to smash into a hundred pieces against the back wall. He was an ex-marine (who still sported their regulation buzz cut) with perfect aim. I don't think he ever actually hit anyone, but it certainly got everyone's attention.
Other than that, the only time I got in trouble in school, was in the 2nd grade, when I had to stand in the corner. If memory serves me right, what ever I did to get there, it was on purpose, because I wanted to see what it was like to stand in the corner. The designated corner was behind the open cloak-room door, and I did more giggling and peaking out than facing the corner. lol, I'm sure the teacher had no idea I thought it was more fun than punishment.
Thank you again for a most excellant outlook on a time gone by.

A great article, your school days sounded almost the same as mine.We also had blackboard rubbers toossed with great skill so it hit the desk but not the person.

Ah yes. I was a prewar birth (1940) in the midwestern USA. I saw teachers rap kids, mainly boys, right on top of the head with a thin book when they were doing wrong. He would traipse the aisles while we did whatever. Same teacher would throw chalk but right at the child he thought was offending, right or wrong. Another teacher, a Robert Goulet look-alike took a tough kid and put him in the corner and bashed his head into the wall much more than once. As classes changed, my class was all privy to seeing him in the corner all bruised and bumped and crying. I was aghast. This kid had an even tougher Father waiting for the teacher in the parking lot and as the story goes, said teacher became hospital sick that late afternoon. Father beat the shit out of him and justly so, IMO. The kid had bruises all over his face and head. That is just 'part' of the story of my childhood schooling ...

How odd that you apparently grew up without having been given much reason to respect your teachers, yet you ultimately became one. Life is strange!

This has the stamp of authenticity.

so good to read authentic accounts

Having been educated in Canada where many teachers "taught" via frequent use of the strap, I revere still those rebels who managed to get through a year, with a class of 40 students, without once resorting to its use.

An interesting article that has within it a ring of truth.
I do not, however, accept the generalisation and still bitterly regret the abolition of corporal punishment in British schools and the continued pressure in society to demonise those in LOVING & CARING homes who spank with the genuine good of the young lady concerned as the sole motivation.