Writing about school in 60's

shawnee

A gathering type reunion has been organized for our old school which I attended in the 60's and early 70's. I have been wanting to write some thoughts on it. My memories aren't that positive . I remember a lot of corporal punishment being dished out to kids. Sad to say it was dished out for not getting sums or spellings correct. I didn't get a huge amount of it myself but I feel that if I write a piece that this will probably dominate it. I try to be positive in most areas of my life and I suppose I feel writing that in writing a piece on this ,it is difficult to find the positivity in it.

hcass

Then write about that. My mother was telling us horrific stories of when they were kids. Beaten to a pulp on regular occasion. She lived in a small town where everyone knew everyone - so if you were poor you got bet and if you were rich you were spared.

People sometimes whitewash their childhood - "Oh school days, the best days of your life." Well, for a lot of people that is crap. And I think you'd be doing yourself a favour writing this all down - it might help release some of the horrible feelings and thoughts you have stored up concerning your school days. Might be theraputic?

Either that or you can try and look for the humour of your situation. Frank McCourt had a way of making me split my sides laughing while telling tales of the worst hardships and poverty.

shawnee

Your mother's views were correct. Thanks for your input , yeah I suppose I could try and inject a bit of humour to what was indeed a frightening experience for some kids. I learned later in life that there was at least one or two , who were thought as being "stupid" and they never learned to read or write until late into adulthood. What a difficult time they must have had .:o

Insect Overlord

I'd say that would make for a very interesting read, whether you go for a documentary-style piece or a McCourt-esque memoir or even a historical novel. You could get some interesting stories out of the other past pupils at the reunion too.

Hedgemeister

A quick word to the op (gathered from experience)

I once wrote a book about life in the 50s & early 60s and I included a chapter on my schooldays, warts and all, with no rose tinted glasses.
Corporal punishment is such a nice term for having the living siht beaten out of you on a daily basis, ears pulled out of sockets & hair yanked from the head in patches, and the slaps of the holly stick on frosty mornings for being five minutes late for school.
When my book was published, none of the shops in my village would stock it, and some of my old schoolmates were in denial that this brutality ever existed in State Schools, let alone the one we attended!

Folks are strange, and the power of rose tinted glasses can be strong for a few, while others don't care to be reminded of how it was.
Still, I'm glad I wrote about it, though I could have given the subject more than one short chapter.
My advice is go ahead and tell your story. It needs to be told.,

Sam Kade

If you went to school in the 30's or 40's and were left handed you would be beaten black and blue until you wrote with your right hand. Thank fcuk I started in 69 when they forgot about that nonsense They were still handy with the cane though.

Hedgemeister

When I left the National School in '62 for a 'progressive' Vocational School I thought I'd left all that behind, but no chance.
The Maths teacher beat education into us with the T Square! But I suppose it was progression, of sorts.
Ah yes, God be with the old time teachers and their methods of instruction.