Saved by the Ban

At a dinner party this weekend we were reminiscing about the god old bad old days.
One of the ladies captivated us all with the story of a lucky escape she had had. I thought I’d anonymize it a bit here and share it as it was for me electrifying.

The two girls were proudly back for the first day of term August 83. It was there first year ans an 5th year and at 17 they were entitled to dispatch with their below knee white socks and flat shoes. They felt quite the ladies in their heels and tights.
First class was Latin. Miss Gerridge was a slight anomaly. She fought classics yet was a young and attractive redhead. She was elegantly glamorous and a head of department at only 32. Her rapid promotion was probably in part to her recognition as a no nonsense disciplinarian. Her aesthetic appearance rather misleading people over her class room management style. She was in fact a great believer in the belt. That it should be used publicly to best effect and that if a belting was required the whole class should vebefit from the lesson.
She commenced to “chalk and talk “ at the front laying out the timetable and structure for Higher Latin.
Jenny very quietly turned to Fiona and whispered. “Do you have a spare pen mine has run out.? “
The response was immediate. Miss Gerridge spun round and snapped. Jenny Evans and Fiona Baxter get out to the front now!”
Her tone brooked no argument and heels clipping they came out to the front. Looking very nervous indeed,



The mistress opened her handbag and drew out her short but thick 2 tail lochgelly. She liked this belt. When a message needed delivered it was as swift and reliable as the pony express.


“Right get your hands up both of you. How dare you talk over a teacher. Six of the best on the first day Jenny you will be first I know you know the ropes. . And Fiona I’m surprised at you. I’ve not heard of you receiving the belt “
“Nooo miss”
Fiona relayed at the dinner table that she’d been utterly terrified. Dressed like a senior but her legs shaking in those adult white tights and heels like a first year.
As the mistress raised the tawse above her shoulder Mark Dempsey stood up hand in the air. “Miss miss”
“Dempsey get out here as well. How dare you interrupt me disciplining a pupil. Out here right now!”
Mark stood up but insisted on finishing hrs sentence” But miss it was on the news the belt was banned as from today”
Jenny said she saw fleeting shock and uncertainty on her features. But she recovered quickly.

I know that Dempsey. I’m making a demonstration to the class of how effective and swift things were The lecture continued with Saying she was disappointed and that she would have belted them to tears for their insolence but it would have been over and done with.

She made them write out. “ I deserved sore hands today for talking” and Mark. “ I must i terupt a teacher during discipline” Each 300 times.
I asked if they would have preferred the tawse. Jenny said no That she’d been belted by her the year before And it was agony after 4 let alone 6. The teacher was renowned for her prowess with the belt. Fiona was less certain. I kind of wish I’d got it just once and laughed it off
5 yrs later they were teaching as colleagues at the same school as her.
I proved. Do you think it was a lesson. Jenny laughed -Bloody hell no. She used to do a first day of term belting every year. It was habit. Lay the law down. She’d just forgotten. She leaned over and kissed Mark whom she has subsequently dated and married!
.
I thought about telling Fiona that she could easily ask an ex colleague to give her a demonstration but decided it was socially impossible.

I would be lying if I said I had t wondered how it would have gone had Mark hadn’t stepped in