School teachers and corporal punishments

[Bozzie]

As much as the physical punishments were bad, it was often the psychological ones for the less able in the class looking back that were the most cruel.

I avoided it as I was reasonably bright (based upon the norms of the time), but some kids who Im sure these days would be in receipt of a SEN were called idiots, made to deliberately look stupid by teachers and generally pilloried for just not understanding a subject area in full view of their peers, who on occasion were also invited to join in.

It wasn't every teacher but there were a number spread across the subject areas.

Are we a bit too soft now ? Probably with respect to unacceptable behaviour; but at least we identify those who might need additional help due to conditions beyond their own control. How many kids in to 70s and 80s who struggled with Maths had dyscalculia or English had dyslexia or even PE had dyspraxia and due to a minority of teachers hated going to school which then went on to affect them in later life, its really quite sad.

As research into the conditions has discovered people who suffer from these conditions often have strengths in other areas which are often not valued in a traditional education sense. Thankfully some employers now actively encourage application from neurodiverse people as they see the real benefit in certain roles.

My lad is SEN Coordinator at a primary school in Salford. I am constantly amazed at the level of responsibility he accepts, the layers of regulation he has to navigate his way through and around and immensely proud of his commitment and professionalism. There’s very little coasting done by teachers in comparison to what many of my generation would still say are the “good old days”.

 

[johnnytapia]

My lad is SEN Coordinator at a primary school in Salford. I am constantly amazed at the level of responsibility he accepts, the layers of regulation he has to navigate his way through and around and immensely proud of his commitment and professionalism. There’s very little coasting done by teachers in comparison to what many of my generation would still say are the “good old days”.

Did 8 years as SENCo in Gorton.,Fucked it off at Christmas - chapeau to your lad; it’s a tough, demanding, but very rewarding role.,

 

[Sir peace frog]

we had a biology teacher called doc larner, he had all sorts of punishments,wrapping you on the head with a 50p, whacking you on the arse with a bunsen burner tube bouncing a golf ball on the desk so it bounced onto your head, and his favorite and im not kidding was hitting you on the head with a swordfish bone hahaha all it took was a dink from it and it brought tears to your eyes, must admit when someone was in for it ,it was funny

 

[Stoned Rose]

Unreal film.

Buzz off the bit where he calls Casper an “irrelevant scoundrel” :)

 

[Gorton_Tubster]

Society is so brilliant since we let kids grow up without any consequences for their behaviour.

 

[Stoned Rose]

Shocking. It was always hard to tell your parents that a teacher didn't like you because, like you say, every kid must say it. I remember having that feeling about the odd one or two though. I remember a trial for the school team and the physics teacher (who I felt didn't like me because I didn't enjoy his lessons) was running the school team. He asked me my position, I said forward. We went out and had a match, I think my team won 3-1 and I scored all three. All the lads were congratulating me and saying I was definitely in. He announced the squad back in the changing rooms and I wasn't in it. A lad asked why I wasn't named. He turned to me and said "I know you scored a hat-trick but I didn't feel like you worked hard enough." Wanker.

Are you Steve McPointalot?

 

[The Stockport Iniesta]

Shocking. It was always hard to tell your parents that a teacher didn't like you because, like you say, every kid must say it. I remember having that feeling about the odd one or two though. I remember a trial for the school team and the physics teacher (who I felt didn't like me because I didn't enjoy his lessons) was running the school team. He asked me my position, I said forward. We went out and had a match, I think my team won 3-1 and I scored all three. All the lads were congratulating me and saying I was definitely in. He announced the squad back in the changing rooms and I wasn't in it. A lad asked why I wasn't named. He turned to me and said "I know you scored a hat-trick but I didn't feel like you worked hard enough." Wanker.

Had similar with a teacher who didn't like me and the feeling was mutual. After doing something to displease him he dropped me from the School team, and made me a sub. I was the centre forward then the twat then made me play right back for the following two games after the benching. Very petty of him.

 

[normskih]

You can tell most if not all of these posts are from lads times in schools. Sounds quite bad but familiar as I was in a Wythenshawe school in the ‘70’s but being female wasn’t subject to any of the teachers backhanders. I did witness one or two lads being given cracks for pretty much nothing mind you back in the day. In my day, many of our teachers called the girls in school by the forename and the lads by the surname. I bet that doesn’t happen now. Neither would the teacher stand at the front and chuck the books at each of us instead of passing them round, nor would a blackboard rubber be hurtling across the classroom these days, as they did then. I must admit though, I’ve had a bit of a titter reading through these posts even though it’s not really a funny subject:)

 

[The Stockport Iniesta]

You can tell most if not all of these posts are from lads times in schools. Sounds quite bad but familiar as I was in a Wythenshawe school in the ‘70’s but being female wasn’t subject to any of the teachers backhanders. I did witness one or two lads being given cracks for pretty much nothing mind you back in the day. In my day, many of our teachers called the girls in school by the forename and the lads by the surname. I bet that doesn’t happen now. Neither would the teacher stand at the front and chuck the books at each of us instead of passing them round, nor would a blackboard rubber be hurtling across the classroom these days, as they did then. I must admit though, I’ve had a bit of a titter reading through these posts even though it’s not really a funny subject:)

Girls hardly ever got that sort of punishment at my secondary school. It was a free for all on the lads though. I got slapped across the face really hard by a male teacher aged 11, caned on the backside numerous times, hit with a trainer on the backside from the PE teacher, and the strangest, caned, but with a metre long metal ruler from the metalwork teacher, for of all things walking on the grass.

 

[55yr old teenager]

Went to a comprehensive in Wythenshawe through the 70’s and suffer the ruler and the strap and one sadistic fucker who had a size 12 black plimsoll that he’d chalk an X on before whacking you on the arse with it. A few teachers also liked to throw the blackboard eraser around too…

I went to Yew Tree in the 70's. A history teacher once threw pair of scissors at me. Luckily I was sat at the back of the class and they missed me. A music teacher once had me stand in front of the class hold my upturned hands out whilst he belted with a training shoe.

 

[denislawsbackheel]

What is quite amazing in this thread is that nearly every account here is of an illegal assault.
Even when corporal punishment was allowed it was only to be administered by the headteacher or their single nominee and could only be administered with the tawse, a type of strap.

I went to Burnage Grammar school in the 1960s and nearly every one of the teachers was a sadistic, perverted bastard.

 

[Kippax Street 1880]

This is fucked up to read to be honest, I'd have gone back when I was an adult and given them a taste of their own medicine. Enjoyed the stories about people's mums and grans going in and giving it back though, I'd be the same as a parent at the time.

 

[1961_vintage]

Whack on the crown of the head with a dessert spoon during dinner time. That sent shockwaves down to your toes - especially when he caught you from behind. Nasty bastard.

 

[Odd socks]

Looks like lots of us suffered the same punishment during our schooling.
Not going to add to the stories but I can think of at least seven teachers who would be in jail for the beatings they dished out and another two who'd be signing the sex pest register. Another two were constantly pissed but harmless.
I always say I learned all my education at junior school and fuck all after other than how to write with swollen hands sat on a sore arse.
Still don't know why I never spoke to my parents as they were great - probably thought I had let them down so sucked it up.

 

[Tuearts right boot]

This is fucked up to read to be honest, I'd have gone back when I was an adult and given them a taste of their own medicine. Enjoyed the stories about people's mums and grans going in and giving it back though, I'd be the same as a parent at the time.

I wish you were my dad.........my dad once told me that if he heard I'd got a bollocking at school, I'd get another one when he got home. And I did get away with murder sometimes...

 

[oakiecokie]

Our eldest daughter initially taught Drama at a Cheltenham School and was then head-hunted into her current place of work the BOA in the centre of Brum, which has a high calibre of students aged between 14-19 year olds.
They cover all aspects of Drama/Singing/Digital/Dancing/Lighting/Sound, the whole network of Stage/Drama requirements but the three main subjects still remain, Maths, Science and English Lit & Language plus the candidates route to their future.
The entry admission is very difficult and you really have to be at the top of your game even at the tender year of 14 in this high profile education, as very few make it to the top. Over the years our daughter has been fortunate to have young actors making it onto the tv screens, with some having already played in Corrie etc but the one for her was her student who played one of the young cousins in the acclaimed tv Series "Peaky Blinders" and was in for 3 series I think she said.
The one good thing for the Academy is that all students are aware that any severe disruption etc will get them expelled and may have a major factor on them being refused entry to other Academies, so overall the kids are well disciplined.
Our daughter over the past twelve months has gained recognition for her hard work with promotion and is now the Director of Drama for BOA.
However even she says that had she been taking any other lesson group than Drama (as kids aren`t tied to a desk) then she probably wouldn`t have lasted and she acknowledges that she has been very fortunate.

 

[paulchapo]

This is fucked up to read to be honest, I'd have gone back when I was an adult and given them a taste of their own medicine. Enjoyed the stories about people's mums and grans going in and giving it back though, I'd be the same as a parent at the time.

You have to understand this was considered perfectly normal at the time and as I said in my original post a teacher was almost beyond criticism. We'd often think a punishment was ott or a bit odd but we felt we just had to accept it.
We had a games and technical drawing teacher who would want to know who the hard nuts were in each year. At games in the changing room he'd often seek them out and goad them a bit, shove them around. When they got annoyed he'd tell them to go for it. When they realised he meant it they did. He'd then rough them up, slapping them around using the strength of a man against a fifteen year old kid until they gave up. Most odd.

Another temporary religious education teacher brought the biggest and heaviest book I've ever seen into the lesson for some reason and everybody was amazed at how big it was. Later the lad sitting next to.me was chatting, oblivious to this teacher standing behind him getting increasingly annoyed, much to the amusement of everybody else. I suddenly saw the teachers face change into one of pure rage and without warning he brought this book crashing full force onto the poor lads head. How he wasn't knocked out or hospitalised I have no idea. Everybody was shocked and a couple of the bigger and tougher lads stood up and had a go at him. These days he would be prosecuted and sacked.

 

[The Stockport Iniesta]

You have to understand this was considered perfectly normal at the time and as I said in my original post a teacher was almost beyond criticism. We'd often think a punishment was ott or a bit odd but we felt we just had to accept it.
We had a games and technical drawing teacher who would want to know who the hard nuts were in each year. At games in the changing room he'd often seek them out and goad them a bit, shove them around. When they got annoyed he'd tell them to go for it. When they realised he meant it they did. He'd then rough them up, slapping them around using the strength of a man against a fifteen year old kid until they gave up. Most odd.

Another temporary religious education teacher brought the biggest and heaviest book I've ever seen into the lesson for some reason and everybody was amazed at how big it was. Later the lad sitting next to.me was chatting, oblivious to this teacher standing behind him getting increasingly annoyed, much to the amusement of everybody else. I suddenly saw the teachers face change into one of pure rage and without warning he brought this book crashing full force onto the poor lads head. How he wasn't knocked out or hospitalised I have no idea. Everybody was shocked and a couple of the bigger and tougher lads stood up and had a go at him. These days he would be prosecuted and sacked.

In the first year of secondary school everyone had to do certain lessons. Anyway in music this lad was just talking and the teacher twatted him right on the top of his skull with a drum stick really, really hard, you could hear it. We all went mad because we'd only been at secondary school for a month or two. This lad had blood running down the side of his face and was crying. The teacher didn't give a fuck and started shouting at everyone else in the class for standing up for him. Eventually he was sent to see a female teacher who did first aid, but no comebacks for the teacher who twatted him.

He'd be arrested and never teach again nowadays but it was commonplace then.

 

[paulchapo]

In the first year of secondary school everyone had to do certain lessons. Anyway in music this lad was just talking and the teacher twatted him right on the top of his skull with a drum stick really, really hard, you could hear it. We all went mad because we'd only been at secondary school for a month or two. This lad had blood running down the side of his face and was crying. The teacher didn't give a fuck and started shouting at everyone else in the class for standing up for him. Eventually he was sent to see a female teacher who did first aid, but no comebacks for the teacher who twatted him.

He'd be arrested and never teach again nowadays but it was commonplace then.

Exactly how it was.

 

[AliBobbyJ]

Once in junior school I got ratted out by the lad sitting next to me when I made him laugh out loud with my whispered comment about the dreadful map Miss Wilson was drawing on the board. She invited me to draw a better one (I think I did) then asked the class whose map they liked best. The buggers voted for Miss Wilson's of course and accordingly she gave me the ruler across the knuckles.

Got the cane in grammar school for chucking a snowball that hit a teacher when the intended target in the schoolyard ducked. Had to wait outside the headmaster's office for punishment which he formally recorded in a ledger. He flexed the cane and had me bend over with the command "Touchez le plancher!" After three strokes on the backside he bade me stand upright and said "your French is good." I thanked him and went to my Geography class.

Most memorable was Mr. Howard, a wonderful maths teacher, who could draw freehand a perfect circle on the board and was equally accurate throwing bits of chalk at dozy pupils. Once, though, it went awry. Seeing Jimmy W. snoozing in the back row he held up the chalk for our approval (we all nodded "yes") and launched it in a gentle arc towards the lad's nose. At the critical moment Jimmy yawned, his head went back and the chalk went straight down his throat. As Mr. H. returned to the important matter of Pythagoras's theorem Jimmy began gasping for air and waving his hands around. Eventually someone called out "Please Sir, Jimmy's choking", whereupon Mr. H. was by his side in three big strides, picked him up and brought a large hand down on his back. The chalk and a school dinner came up on the classroom floor. "Clean that mess up, lad" said Mr. H. and Jimmy dutifully went off to the caretaker's office to get a mop.
Told my dad about it that night, how he laughed.

Edit: no wonder I did 47 years as a teacher.