Corporal punishment

Shenshen · 05-07-2016 02:24PM

I was never beaten in school, it was outlawed in my home country way before I started school in 1980.
And truth be told, I can only remember one incident in the entire 13 years I was at school when there was a feeling that the teacher had lost control of the class. It was in primary school (I can't recall what year) and the teacher had taught us a very popular song that day. At some point, some of the kids started singing it (despite music lesson being over), and simply kept singing it over and over, occasionally interrupted by uncontrolable fits of laughter. In my memory, it went on for quite a while, but can't have been more than maybe 10 minutes in total. The teacher had at first tried to restore quiet, but gave in after a short while and just waited it out.

Yes, throughout the years there were teacher that would be shown more respect and others who'd be shown less, but I really don't think the teachers were feeling they'd be better off if they could physically punish us. I don't think it ever even occured to them.

Towards the end of school, the relationship with our teachers was very much on equal footing, friendly more than anything else. I remember one of our history teachers inviting the entire class to her house one evening for home-made pizza and wine, we'd always whip round to buy birthday presents for the teachers.

Looking back on it now, I might just have been extremely lucky, but it didn't seem unusual at all to us, nor to the teachers. It was just the way things were, just normal.

05-07-2016 03:32PM

I was beheaded twice in national school.

I win all the prizes.

Claw Hammer · 06-07-2016 10:55AM

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

I was beheaded twice in national school.

I win all the prizes.

If you ever got a swipe of a pick axe handle on your head you wouldn't joke about it.

endacl · 07-07-2016 05:32PM

Summer wind wrote: »

Teachers should never ever be allowed to hit any child.

Perhaps if they signed a release? Allowing for a rematch when the child grew up? I'd be really interested to see whether one particular primary teacher I had would be interested in trying to give 6'4", 17st me a few digs...

BBDBB · 07-07-2016 05:42PM

Yes, it was part of school life at the time. To get outraged about it now is a waste of energy.

Lt Dan · 07-07-2016 05:50PM

timthumbni wrote: »

Do any of the more mature heads on here have any stories about getting caned (not in a cannabis sense) or beat by a teacher?

Personally I hear about a lot of bad behaviour at my kids school. In my day those kids would have been dealt with by the rod. I was caned many times myself and to be honest I never had a problem with it. The best teacher I ever had caned me regularly and I stopped acting the tube and we both moved on. Lol.

There were a few who took it too far and were violent but they were in the minority. I tell me kids about the cane and they just laugh thinking I'm making it up.

Should the cane make a comeback???

Saw many duster and metal pencil sharpeners go flying. Nothing better than controlling a class of brats through sheer fear. Never did anyone any harm.

Today, if a teacher tried to cane a pupil they would probably get chinned:D

Lt Dan · 07-07-2016 05:53PM

Shenshen wrote: »

I remember one of our history teachers inviting the entire class to her house one evening for home-made pizza and wine,

.

Was the teacher "hawt?"

Teachers would not dare do that now a days

Wine? To minors?

Penny Tration · 07-07-2016 05:54PM

Lt Dan wrote: »

Saw many duster and metal pencil sharpeners go flying. Nothing better than controlling a class of brats through sheer fear. Never did anyone any harm.

Today, if a teacher tried to cane a pupil they would probably get chinned:D

How do you know it did no harm to anyone?

Lt Dan · 07-07-2016 05:57PM

Penny Tration wrote: »

How do you know it did no harm to anyone?

My old class are successful , stable , non in jail, none are violent or suicidal ......

Funny , you don't address the second statement - pupils/Students no longer have any respect for the teachers and think that the rule the classroom

Claw Hammer · 07-07-2016 06:42PM

BBDBB wrote: »

Yes, it was part of school life at the time. To get outraged about it now is a waste of energy.

So were smelly teachers. I still get cold shakes remembering the smell of teachers. Stale tobacco, sweat, stale beer, floor polish, unwashed clothes and frequent farts blended into a revolting concoction. If one of them went near a child nowadays the child would probably faint and have to be brought to Beaumont.

MilesMorales1 · 07-07-2016 06:44PM

Lt Dan wrote: »

My old class are successful , stable , non in jail, none are violent or suicidal ......

Funny , you don't address the second statement - pupils/Students no longer have any respect for the teachers and think that the rule the classroom

Bit of a generalisation.

07-07-2016 06:58PM

Lt Dan wrote: »

Saw many duster and metal pencil sharpeners go flying. Nothing better than controlling a class of brats through sheer fear. Never did anyone any harm.

Actually thought this was a joke.

Never did anyone any harm - sure, except you grew up thinking it's acceptable and even desirable to throw missiles at kids to control them through fear.

PowerToWait · 07-07-2016 07:46PM

I have been told by several teacher friends, that students recently arrived from countries where CP is commonplace are much more respectful of the teacher than the natives.

Paddy Cow · 07-07-2016 09:01PM

PowerToWait wrote: »

I have been told by several teacher friends, that students recently arrived from countries where CP is commonplace are much more respectful fearful of the teacher than the natives.

fyp

PopePalpatine · 07-07-2016 10:41PM

Seamus Easy Wineglass wrote: »

Yes I got a fair few slaps in my time from the nuns. This was late 80s to early 90s when it was illegal. It was for such things as colouring outside the lines, drink leaking, running in the yard. They were horrible nasty witches and such dreadful snobs. I wasn't from the right area and they were determined to find fault with me though I did very well and skipped classes - it seemed to infuriate them. I was too embarrassed to tell my parents.

I would never agree with a return of corporal punishment. I teach in a disadvantaged school now and there are significant disciplinary issues but I don't believe corporal punishment would have any positive effect at all. The main culprits are well used to getting clattered at home - it's just not a successful way of dealing with children and will never compensate for poor parenting. The laws around dealing with persistently disruptive students in schools and parents who fail to take responsibility for their children's actions need changing though.

Ah, nothing like abusive nuns (or sadists in general) to make you ignore that copypasta Facebook status from a relative about never wishing Alzheimer's on someone.

Penny Tration · 07-07-2016 11:09PM

Lt Dan wrote: »

My old class are successful , stable , non in jail, none are violent or suicidal ......

Funny , you don't address the second statement - pupils/Students no longer have any respect for the teachers and think that the rule the classroom

So you don't actually know that it didn't affect anyone? All you know is they have jobs and aren't criminals basically.

I didn't address the second statement because it wasn't directed at me, I responded to what I wanted to respond to.

SEPT 23 1989 · 07-07-2016 11:19PM

I had dusters and chalk fcuked at me by some failure in the 80's

Cnut

pablo128 · 08-07-2016 09:17AM

Lt Dan wrote: »

Saw many duster and metal pencil sharpeners go flying. Nothing better than controlling a class of brats through sheer fear. Never did anyone any harm.

Would you throw something hard at at member of staff in work if they made a mistake or were messing?

Shenshen · 08-07-2016 09:35AM

Lt Dan wrote: »

Was the teacher "hawt?"

Teachers would not dare do that now a days

Wine? To minors?

No, I wouldn't say she was, to be honest.
We were all over 16, legal drinking age where I'm from

Shenshen · 08-07-2016 09:40AM

PowerToWait wrote: »

I have been told by several teacher friends, that students recently arrived from countries where CP is commonplace are much more respectful of the teacher than the natives.

Interesting point. When I was still at school we had 2 exchange students from the UK for a while. At the time, corporal punishment was still legal in the UK.

What I remember most was how our teachers struggled to get them to participate in class. At first we thought it might be because they weren't confident enough with the foreign language, but they wouldn't even pipe up in English class.

Anecdotal, I know, but it kind of stuck with me. I was a very shy student, but nowhere near as quiet in class as these two. Yet during breaks with no teachers around, you couldn't get a word in edgeways with them.

IvyTheTerrible · 08-07-2016 09:58AM

The principal of my primary school was a bully and a tyrant. He even had the nickname Butch. Tiny little man with a Napoleon complex, he was always slapping and belittling kids. I was a very good student (swot!), and even I got belted. I remember him lifting a young lad a foot off the floor by the ears.
It didn't make the "bold" kids behave any better, it put a lot of kids off school, and I think even the "good" kids hated him.
A good teacher doesn't need to slap or bully to get children to behave.

Lt Dan · 08-07-2016 10:38AM

Penny Tration wrote: »

So you don't actually know that it didn't affect anyone? All you know is they have jobs and aren't criminals basically.

I didn't address the second statement because it wasn't directed at me, I responded to what I wanted to respond to.

The First Statement was not addressed to you either - but you and everyone else was welcomed to comment

Of course you will only address what suits you, the highlight of dishonest people, refuse to actually deal with what was said in full.

Grow a pair. It is pathetic that people would rather blame everyone else for their failures. (that actually could apply to the violent tyrant teachers too)

Lt Dan · 08-07-2016 10:40AM

pablo128 wrote: »

Would you throw something hard at at member of staff in work if they made a mistake or were messing?

Today is 2016. So, no.

In my line of work, certain mistakes and messing is sackable! So....... think that would hurt more

Moo Moo Land · 08-07-2016 12:41PM

I got the "leather" quite a few times from the Christian Brothers in the 1970s.
There was a brown leather for lay teachers but the brothers had a black leather. It was basically a short strap/belt of thick leather. They loved nothing better than to redden your hand with it. Sadistic feckers.

There were also 2 brothers abusing vulnerable boys for many years in my CBS primary school. They usually went after the boys whose parents would be "weak" or "obedient" if you know what I mean.

Moo Moo Land · 08-07-2016 12:43PM

OneOfThem wrote: »

Yes, the cane should make a comeback. Also capital punishment, that's back in. Rape in a marriage should be legal again too. Catholic priests should be back running communities from the pulpit as well. Condoms are out, banned. Let's sure up those abortion laws too. Racial segregation, that'll be a thing (sure we never even got a proper bash at that first time round). Homosexuality back on the banned list. Gunness and turf for everyone. And I want at least ten maidens dancing at every crossroad in the country. Spare the rod, spoil the child. Progress is over rated. A good spell of social regression, that'll cure what ails us.

:D:D

Conall Cernach · 08-07-2016 02:08PM

In primary school we had a teacher who would use a cardboard tube about 18 inches long to launch chalk at pupils talking to each other. This wasn't very accurate and usually caused collateral damage instead.

In secondary school we had a "Dean of Discipline" a throwback to the days when it was a boarding school. In my time, the 80's, it was a priest that was nicknamed "Bender." There was no corporal punishment involved you just got a letter home or that but the rumour was that he had a 50p piece glued to the floor and if you bent down to pick it up then he'd "bum" you. This was before the sex abuse scandals and I never heard of poor old Bender ever being accused of anything subsequently.

Claw Hammer · 08-07-2016 06:53PM

The punishments here are nothing. This is what you may call corporal punishment.

http://www.nairaland.com/3000873/student-battered-principal-eva-adelaja

andekwarhola · 08-07-2016 07:13PM

pablo128 wrote: »

Would you throw something hard at at member of staff in work if they made a mistake or were messing?

If I could get away with it, definitely.

Samaris · 08-07-2016 07:22PM

Most of the people in this thread talking about canings are describing the teachers as being vindictive, malicious. The people who are alright with it don't seem to reckon their canings were spiteful and see it as a normal part of childhood. That may be where the issue lies.

When it's doled out with no malice, for breaking clearly understood rules, and most importantly, when it's impartial and accepted as normal, it is probably no worse than any other punishment. It's when this form of punishment is -abused-, or no longer normalised, that people seem to end up with trauma and anger from it. The kid that gets a caning for doing something that he absolutely knew would "deserve" it, and that any of his mates would get exactly the same if it was them may smart in the short term, but will bounce back with no lasting upset.

The kid that gets a beating out of the blue, where there's no clear rules set, where something slight could get one and it felt like the teachers were enjoying it, or when it they're being picked out for worse treatment, they're the ones that are going to come out of it traumatised and angry.

I'm talking in generalisations from a small group here, but that's my general idea on it.

Oh, and I don't think that caning should be brought back

PowerToWait · 09-07-2016 07:28AM

Paddy Cow wrote: »

fyp sticking fearful in

It's possible they are fearful I suppose. But you'd think after a while of not seeing anyone getting clattered they'd lose this fear.

I'll follow it up.

Corporal punishment

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