If you went to school in the 70s/80s what happened that wouldn't happen now?

[TheVampiresWife]

I started primary in 1976, left secondary in 1989. Some of mine:

Corporal punishment (the most obvious one for a lot of us I think). In junior school (early 80s) we had a headmaster who would save all the week's canings for Friday afternoon assembly. The kids lined up on stage and were caned in front of the whole school. It was fucking horrific looking back - I remember a boy in my year crying and wetting himself on stage and he never lived it down, the nicknames followed him to secondary school

Girls doing needlework/cookery while boys did woodwork/metalwork

Boy in my class whose surname was Gaye. Geography teacher used to call him 'Poof' and 'Queer' which of course other kids found hilarious and joined in. He changed his surname halfway through secondary school

In my primary class an overweight girl was made to stand on a chair so the whole class could see what we would look like if we were greedy and ate too much

The headmaster who caned kids on stage also used to get girls to kiss him on the cheek and say thank you at prize givings. He also used to make comments about how we were 'developing' and once said in a conversation with my mum that I was getting 'a broad back'. The mums didn't seem to mind his comments

In primary school the children in the SEN class were described as [vile word I can't bring myself to type] by teachers and children alike quite unselfconsciously

In secondary school an English teacher had an affair with a sixth former and she became pregnant. He left but wasn't reprimanded and got a teaching job in another school the following year. The couple are still together all these years later!

It really was a different time and not necessarily for the better, either. I do have lots of happy memories of school too though!

Many upper sixth students met up with the teachers after school in the local pub.
Being allowed out to go home for lunch or to the local shops for chips.
The teachers would hold fire drills at around 2.40 on a Friday , then let us go home straight away ( so early)
Students smoking outside the school gates.
Teachers staff room reeked of cigarettes! I went to a tough rough secondary school.

GintyMcGinty Tue 20-Jul-21 08:55:56
Teachers were allowed to make sexist comments and discriminate against gay pupils. I also have memories of racist incidents.
......
I remember similar. Remarks about appearance, manner of speaking, being fat, being shy and going red. Being really shown up if you weren't particularly good at something.

Nothing was private, they were allowed to castigate a pupil in front of everyone.

I'm glad things have changed and schools are far more child-friendly; also parents are less in awe of teachers and will support their children.

@LloydColeandtheCoconuts I mean, was he ok afterwards?

@LloydColeandtheCoconuts The boy in the assembly I mean, I can't imagine he was ok but I'm hoping

[quote randomperson2]@LloydColeandtheCoconuts The boy in the assembly I mean, I can't imagine he was ok but I'm hoping[/quote]
He was ok. I mean as ok as a person can be after public humiliation.
Later on in the 4th year (year 6) called me the n word so I never felt that sorry for him.

No supervision in the playground. There were teachers/staff around to call on if anyone was hurt or a fight needed breaking up or a bully needed squashing, but no one was out enforcing the rules otherwise. There was no 'playground duty' for teachers.

I remember at primary one assembly a teacher told all the children with ginger hair to go to the front and stand up in front of everyone. She then said people say people with ginger hair are ugly but everyone do you think all these children are ugly?

I only ever remember one incidence of racism by a teacher when I was at school. It would have been about 1994 ish and the home ec teacher called Mrs. Bye, told us not to wash up under a running tap 'like those Asian girls'.

I was really shocked as there was quite a high proportion of Asian girls in my class, so I was pissed off on their behalf. I also thought she was a stupid cow because if I ever washed anything up I always did it under a running tap!

No one said anything, and as far as I know, no one complained to the school as she was still there for a while after.

Well before school age, I was often told,"you had better learn how to behave before you go to school or you'll be getting the cane"
At age 4½, I went, with my mother for the pre school visit. All I could remember from that visit was being transfixed by the nasty looking cane hanging on the wall behind the headmistress.
My first day at school was a memorable occasion. I was dragged, kicking and screaming to the school.
I wonder why that was?
I hated school.
I wonder why that was?
I am sure that cane left its mark on me even though it never met my bottom.
At secondary school, the P.T. teacher was very handy with a size 12 plimsoll. One very hard stroke on the left buttock was the norm. That would be simply for coming last at something. Any actual naughtyness was rewarded by a second stroke on the other buttock.
I only got "6 of the best" from the headmaster on one occasion. It was painful enough but what hurt more was the fact that I had been caught up in someone else's misbehaviour and didn't think I deserved it.
I sometimes think I would like to relive the caning, just for old times sake, but I'm sure that after the first stroke, it would be "ouch, that's enough nostalgia for me"
I know many people enjoy being spanked and caned. I wonder to what extent that is due to punishments in earlier life.

Girls doing needlework/cookery while boys did woodwork/metalwork

I started secondary in 1972. We all had to do everything. I quite enjoyed metalwork, woodwork not so much.

However, only boys had to do cross country running.

I can certainly remember the amount of smoking that went on among the staff.

The headmaster of my primary school would walk around the corridors smoking a pipe! We all regarded this as perfectly normal (this was the early 70s).

Being allowed to walk to school with my friends,no adult present, when I was 7. It was a bloody long walk,that involved crossing a busy main road (although there was usually a lollypop man or a police constable on crossing duty) a long alleyway that was about half a mile long,surrounded by woodland on one side and farm fields on the other. Then over a small bridge crossing a river. I wouldn't walk down there alone now!

hated PE at secondary school and maths our teachers were really strict proper catholic teachers our pe teacher use to watch us in the showers, cos our changing rooms was upstairs the boys use to sit under the stairs and watch us going upstairs luckly we wore grey knickers lol