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Primary education

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Original poster

School corporal punishment memories 1980s

84 replies

Cati79 · 14/02/2016 15:02

I remember when I first started year one in Manchester in 1985 I was terrified of getting into trouble. Most of my teachers were actually really nice. I only remember seeing 2 canings in my entire schooling life and the worst physical punishment I ever recieved was a couple of taps with the ruler on the knuckles in 2nd and 4th grade for not paying attention in class. I understand nowadays that this would be considered taboo but it certainly did me no harm and I always remember children actually respecting these sorts of teachers who were strict but fair. I told my dd whose in year 4 about the ruler story and she was horrified but said some of the kids in her class probably could use the ruler every now and then lol. What was your schooling life like back then from the 1980s- till now?

OP posts:

Sirzy · 14/02/2016 15:05

It was outlawed completely in 1986 (in state schools st least) so as I only started in 88 I have no memories of it thankfully!

IguanaTail · 14/02/2016 15:05

2nd and 4th grade? America?

Gisla · 14/02/2016 15:05

"...did me no harm" except that it desensitized you to violence to the point that you think it was ok.

dementedma · 14/02/2016 15:06

Here in Scotland it was the belt or tawse. Some teachers abused it but sometimes just the threat of it was enough to instill order.
Wouldn't bother me if they brought it back in secondaries to be honest. .

BertieBotts · 14/02/2016 15:15

Before anyone shares any stories just be aware pervs like to trawl these kinds of threads. Reminisce away, but just think about what you're sharing!

I'm quite thankful that I was at school after it was abolished! Not that I was in trouble at school anyway.

usual · 14/02/2016 15:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TheGirlOnTheLanding · 14/02/2016 15:15

Belt here too. It was banned when I was at high school and I was really relieved - not that I'd ever had the belt but it was awful seeing someone getting belted in class. I always thought it was a pointless punishment - for the ones that got it regularly they just brushed it off and it was almost a badge of honour anyway, I couldn't see any sign of it being a disincentive. There were some teachers who just refused to give the belt ever and others who were notoriously fond of it. I can't imagine it ever being brought back, and as a parent I'm more against it than ever.

Hulababy · 14/02/2016 15:18

Started school, in England, around 1976/7 - never saw anyone hit at school by a teacher, with a cane or anything, nor a hand.

I remember the odd teacher throwing things like board rubbers but never actually hard or with the intention of hitting anyone.

Somethings happened that wouldn't happen in a classroom now - remember a bit having his tie stapled to the wall to stop him moving off, that kind of thing - but obviously not that much as specific times stand out as being out of the ordinary too much for it to be committed occurrence.

As an ex teacher and now a HLTA I would hate for their to be corporal punishment in schools - I would never hit a child. I didn't hit my daughter at home so would not want to be hitting someone else's so or daughter either.

Original poster

Cati79 · 14/02/2016 15:19

Just to clarify, I am not for any form of corporal punishment at school and only condone smacking my own children in very very rare circumstances. I have smacked dd once in 9 years when she was 4 for attempting to stick a knife into an electrical socket and would absolutely do it again as it had the desired effect in that instance.

OP posts:

Hulababy · 14/02/2016 15:20

But did children actually respect the teachers who dealt out caning? Because if they did a person would have only ever been caned or punished once in their life time. And listening to grandparents and parents that was rarely the case - many of the kids they went to school with had the cane on several occasions - so it clearly wasn't an effective punishment for those individuals was it?!

LilacSpunkMonkey · 14/02/2016 15:21

'Said some of the kids in her class could use the ruler now and then'

Your Y4 daughter actually said that?

LilacSpunkMonkey · 14/02/2016 15:24

In my experience (as someone who started school in the late 70s) we were terrified of the Deputy Head who was in charge of giving the pump. I never received it myself but he thought it was funny to roar across the room at children to come over to him now and, when you got there, scared, thinking you were in trouble, he'd laugh and ask you to take a message or some other job.

No respect for that man at all. He was my Y6 teacher. If I found out a teacher treated any of my children to a 'joke' like that I'd be furious.

Original poster

Cati79 · 14/02/2016 15:25

I think she was kind of joking at the thought of it. Her class is actually very well behaved she attends an all girls school but shes had some bullying issues with a few girls so id imagine she was referring to them maybe.

OP posts:

LilacSpunkMonkey · 14/02/2016 15:28

Because the way to deal with child bullies is for an adult to physically punish them?

Righty-ho then.

Original poster

Cati79 · 14/02/2016 15:38

"Because the way to deal with child bullies is for an adult to physically punish them?"

You do realise I'm quoting something from the mouth of my 9 year old that she intended to be a joke don't you and not actually saying that this should be made a reality?

OP posts:

user789653241 · 14/02/2016 15:39

Not in England, but punishment for being told off for multiple times in my primary was to stand 5(10?, can't remember) minutes in the corner of class room. I never received it, but a lot of children were quite scared of humiliation of it and behaved after a warning.

madamginger · 14/02/2016 15:43

I went to school in Manchester in the 1980s and never received or heard of anyone getting smacked at school. We did at home mind you

pusspusslet · 14/02/2016 19:17

I was at school from 60s to 80s and never came across any corporal punishment.

LegArmpits · 14/02/2016 19:20

When I was 5 in 1979 (South Wales UK) I vividly remember a boy swearing and our teacher dragging him off to stick a bar of soap in his mouth. Will always remember the bubbles getting worse the more he cried.
No one thought anything of it...👀

MirandaWest · 14/02/2016 19:24

I started school in 1980. I remember in my second year in school boys coming into our classroom after morning break to be hit (with a ruler I think) by my class teacher.

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 14/02/2016 19:27

1985 was quite late for physical punishment wasn't it?

I was at primary in the 1970's and there was one very slap happy teacher in particular and a day didn't go by when someone wasn't hit with a cane or ruler.

Jetcatisback · 14/02/2016 19:28

Caned twice - 85 and 86, and just narrowly avoided a 3rd time but it had been banned by then

Without meaning to derail the thread, the second time I was caned was for 'internal truancy', when due to abuse by my foster parent, I couldn't face going to class so stayed in the toilets. I was caught and caned. Not such a good day that one

The first time though I'm stupidly proud of - I'd fallen over during sports day and grazed my knee. The head wouldn't let me go and wash it, so I stuck my tongue out at him when he had turned his back. The rather mean deputy head saw me

soapybox · 14/02/2016 19:33

I am Scottish so it was the belt in my schools.
Looking back it was actually an abusive environment and especially so for those children that would now be diagnosed with some kind of SEN.

Their lack of impulse control was probably why the same handful of children ended up being abused over and over again. It turns my stomach to think of how badly these vulnerable children were treated. It is shameful, utterly shameful.

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 14/02/2016 19:34

I have a friend who was caned in his last week of school, aged 18, in 1980 I think it was. He's 6'6, had an older girlfriend who worked, and I just can't believe he took that instead of just walking out, it being the end of his school life. He's such a natural rebel as well, it baffles me.

CPtart · 14/02/2016 19:38

We had the 'strap' in secondary school (1984-1988). I never had or saw it myself but many of the boys did.
I remember clearly, teaches throwing blackboard rubbers at our head, a biology teacher kicking a boy off a stool from under him and an art teacher slapping him around the face in front of the class with no repercussions. This would be unheard of now.
This was a school which hit the News of the World headlines for teachers having relations with each other and ex pupils. A good catholic school too!

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