Methods of "discipline" in infant school, in 1980s

[letsgomaths]

Although I mostly have fond memories of infant school, I remember very vividly methods which were used for keeping order among children in the 1980's, and I'm curious about how much they're used these days (I don't have any DC's of infant school age). There was no corporal punishment at any schools I went to, although it was frequently mentioned ("If I had my way with all these naughty children..."), sometimes with wistful overtones.

Things I remember most:
Humiliation was a common tool; there was a lot of telling off in front of the class, or even the whole school, usually for minor offences such as talking or fidgeting. Some naughty children were made to stand on tables. (However, more serious things like bullying/lying/stealing were dealt with more privately.)

Woe betide any child who moved their feet at all after the bell was rung for the end of playtime, especially if one particular teacher was on playground duty. Any offender would have to make a walk of shame across the playground, and then "miss their next play" (which would involve sitting in an area where everyone would see you).

With some teachers, one of the most heinous crimes children could commit was doing something without being told. I fell foul of this a few times, if I started packing away when I knew it would be time to do so ("Did I say pack away?!?!"). And here was one particular scene, but I wasn't among the guilty this time: during a handwriting lesson, the teacher (fearsome deputy head) wrote "kitten" on the board, and more than half the class wrote it in their exercise books. The teacher then walked round the classroom, picking up people's books and throwing them on the floor. These people were then ordered to fetch their books and hold them up in front of everyone else; these children had dared to write "kitten" when they hadn't actually been told to.

I daresay methods like these were effective in a way; usually the teachers had no difficulty keeping a hundred children quiet, and for all I know teachers of today wish they could do the same things. But I'm sure that teaching children that it's a bad thing to take action without being told had a few unintended consequences!

Discuss. (You have my permission! )

I am French and have never seen any of the methods mentioned before [shocked], neither for myself in the 1970~1980 nor nowadays.
My mum was a primary school teacher and has never used any methods like this.

Just shows how different things can be from one school to the next.

Facing the wall did happened though (not much different than time out tbh) and finger over your own lips for talking.
This was from the very strict catholic school I was in to start with. The second primary school I went to when we moved was much more easy going. I can't remember any of the 'punishments' given lol.

1982-89. Standing facing the wall for all to see with the inevitable 'face that wall! We don't want to see your naughty face'.

I remember a girls in the new starters in Infants who wouldn't or couldn't stop crying for mummy: an egg timer was taken out, with the warming that if she hadn't stopped crying when the sand had run through, she would be 'given something to cry for'.

Regular slaps and smacks.

And I remember being humiliated at great length when told to come for story time on the carpet 'in stocking feet'. At four I didn't know what a stocking was except in the Christmas context, and some older girls told me it meant bare feet. I remember a very long rant: 'why did you do that? What made you think you should do that? Do you think you are funny?' etc.

And people complain on here about attendance certificates!

Primary school 85-91.

Boys who weren't well behaved (looking back they probably had learning disabilities of some kind) being sat on a table with the sign "Timewasters' table" on it.

One spectacularly awful teacher used to call us toerags.

Once, when me and a class mate were having a very minor arguing in a queue, we had to write out the definitions to words like banal, juvenile etc at home as a punishment because "That's what you are". Why my parents didn't tell her to shove it, I'll never know.

Children were often shouted at and insulted in front of the entire class.

One girl who did have quite severe learning difficulties and I don't think our class was a good environment for her as the teacher used to shout at her all the time.

I went to lots of different primaries from 1980 onwards, one v strict Catholic and various CofE/community ones

I remember:

my brother being made to stand in the bin all afternoon because he was rubbish

kids being given a hiding in assembly, and in class as well

being made to stand with bare feet on the hot pipes in the hall all PE lesson for forgetting PE kit

my brother's friend being the last person in the school ever to get the cane

being dragged across the classroom by the hair

a boy with SN being hit, kicked and bitten by a teacher to show him what it felt like

a boy with obvious SN being taught to count to 5 by being whacked 5 times and made to count the whacks, in front of the class

bastards

Good Lord! I'd want to see children expelled for doing some of these things. In the case of adults doing them to children I can only think of one suitable place for them to go. They'd have to wear stripy suits and break rocks though.

These were such horrible times for children with learning difficulties and whilst I agree with those who argue that now we are too leniant, we could never allow such punishment to rule again.

The 1970's and 80's were terrible for people like me and sure I can't be the only person it affected drastically.

A child being constsntly humiliated, hit, and life made unbearable, should never happen.

Hit across the hand with a ruler in reception in 1984.

Made to stand on a chair with my arms outstretched as if on an invisible crucifix in lower infants for a whole lesson. When I cried with the pain the teacher encouraged the class to laugh at me.

Brutal times.

This wasn't about discipline, but was for fun.

I was in elementary school in California in the 1970s. When it was someone's birthday, the teacher put them over her knee and spanked them - one spank for each year. Then the other kids would shout 'one for luck', etc.

It never happened to me, because my birthday was in the Summer holidays, but that would never happen anymore.

God yes merry I remember that too! Lovely teacher actually who I still bump into in the park sometimes - she's my parents age, so late 60s/early 70s! how much has changed in 30 years.

Sorry, this is secondary not primary (so possibly should be in a different thread)

On the whole teachers were okay but there was one complete bullying menace:

• teachers were terrified of him (he regularly reduced young female teachers to tears)
• pupils were terrified of him - he threw my brother into a swimming pool to 'encourage' him to swim, a fellow pupil crouched at her desk in class rather than admit there wasnt a chair for her
• he thumped a parent who commented on his name ('X, that's an unusual name')
• he ran a boy's club where violence was used as discipline - some parents actually thought this was good for their children

The head let this happen because he too was frightened of this teacher.

Surprise, surprise this teacher was eventually jailed for having abusing two pupils from my brother's year.

I think the problem was often the one bad apple.

Primary school, from 1976 - constant threats of the cane, and washing mouths with soap, but I never actually heard it being done. I suspect it had stopped a few years before, but was still gossiped about.

At Middle School (aged 9-13), our French teacher frequently threw things at us. Pencils, chalk, blackboard rubber, books. I was terrified and refused to speak a word.

Hands on head if we were too noisy - this was a whole class punishment.

Made to stay at the table if we didn't eat all our lunch up (I once held out for the whole lunch break, it was such horrid slop. Bully dinner lady made me go and say sorry to the cook, who was lovely and clearly very sympathetic.)

Boys were caned sometimes (junior school). I don't think any girl was ever naughty enough to get caned.

Threats of having mouths washed out with soap and water. I always assumed this was a dire threat designed to really get your attention but never believed it would ever get that far - until senior school where a teacher actually did it to one of my classmates. I was amazed.

Blackboard rubbers - those heavy wooden ones - thrown at anyone who was talking in class (our chemistry teacher was an ace shot with a blackboard rubber but oddly enough he was the most popular teacher by far).

Being sent to spend then morning with reception class for 'being a baby' and crying. I think I used to get upset when my best friend was off sick. The playground seemed a very difficult place. :-(

Children made to spend an entire lunch time spitting into a bucket because they were caught spitting.

The bottom table in the equivalent of year 3 was called "brown table". I was on brown table and did absolutely no work. (lol.. I got a physics degree now, so wasn't so thick afterall!)

Outside toilets.

My first school was crap, modern schools are so much better.

I remember not understanding maths at all and bring too scared to say so. Then being humiliated because I got it wrong.
Being too scared to ask for the toilet and poohing my pants !

I remember board rubbers being thrown, desks being knocked over (!) work being ripped up, PE done in pants and vest if you forgot your kit, made to stand on the 'naughty mat' outside at playtime where everyone could see you, whole school detentions, not being allowed on trips etc (this would never happen now!) being made to stand outside a classroom then if you were really naughty outside the head teacher's office, dreading her/him coming out and finding you there!

I remember getting a detention at secondary school for not being able to sit still on my chair. I had to sit on my chair on all four legs for the whole of break time (20 minutes) it wasn't easy!

I loved my primary school so it can't have been that bad!

My precious little DD has only just started reception. These stories are making me cry :'(

I was forced to drink a whole bottle of milk that had gone off; as soon as I'd finished it I vomited all over the classroom and didn't touch any milk for years afterwards, I'm still phobic about the smell of milk and can only have it in coffee!

Another teacher called one girl fat in front of the whole class and said she should go on a diet. A couple of days later he went round the whole class pointing out which children were fat. (This was 3rd year juniors I think? so we'd have been 9 or 10.)

First year I was in primary was last year the head used the slipper - 1981. Then there was a new and more enlightened head.
One teacher I had lost it with a ten year old, was screaming at him, holding him with one hand and slapping away with the other. No idea how she didn't lose her job. I fear kid was from the sort of family who would use similar methods at home and so not complain.
Otherwise it was fairly harmless, the odd stand outside the classroom or stand to one side while the rest of the class went in from the playground first, removal of house points. The ultimate sanction was being sent to the headmaster's office. I was never sent, so don't know what he did when you got there!

I remember a boy in my class accusing 4-5 of us of calling him 'big ears'. I absolutely had never called him this and was very upset by the accusation but the teacher got out a ruler and measured all our ears proudly announcing that myself and another child had, in fact, got bigger ears. I still remember the look of satisfaction on her face as she said it!

Same teacher dragged a pupil out of the class by his ear!

Aged 5/6, a boy in my class picked his nose till it bled. Teacher made him stand on a table, and the whole year were brought to see 'why you shouldn't pick your nose' while he stood on the table crying

Also aged about 4, not allowed to go to the loo till break time - so weeing myself and getting shouted at