I Witnessed Corporal Punishment At School

@CathyUK I am not sure it was much of a deterrent, except perhaps for those boys who rarely misbehave anyway. I know many people who never received corporal punishment and many who got it frequently, but I don't know anyone who only got it once.

@chikki the line outside the headmaster's office was one of the less pleasant places to be. You weren't necessarily going to get any stick but it was always a possibility.
It wasn't possible to remain positive and cheerful because unless you maintained a solemn and repentant demeanor it was regarded as insolence and that certainly would get you a dose of the stick.

@Tuscan where i was deputy, if outside the office at 4;15 the boy was almost 100% certain tht bhe was going to get his bottom caned or slippered , and even in the case of day boys, mum was not going to be able to save his bottom from the whacking.
Interesting we used the word "cane" and you use "stick". I take it you do mean the same as me that beinga thin, light weight piece of rattan used across the offenders bottom

The cane used by Dr Menzies (our headmaster) was the official local authority approved implement of correction which was considerably heavier than the lightweight ones which teachers used in the classrooms. Normally it was kept in the secretary's office along with the punishment book and if you got sent to see the headmaster you first had to go and see the secretary to make an appointment.

The line outside his office was only in the mornings immediately after morning assembly and consisted of the late comers who had missed morning registration and anyone who had been told to see the headmaster during the assembly. Several other teachers were authorised to use this official cane and they would send you to the secretary to fetch the cane and punishment book if it was to be used.

Most of the other teachers had their own implements which were used for more informal punishments. Some teachers of course were opposed to corporal punishment and used other methods to maintain discipline, at least one of our teachers belonged to an organisation called STOPP (society of teachers opposed to physical punishment) My english teacher was one of these and provided me with literature which they published, because,perhaps suprisingly, I was one of the few boys at school who thought corporal punishment should be abolished. @chikki

@chikki the only times boys at my school were punished on "the bare" would have been after PE classes, usually as a result of misbehaviour in the showers. This was not a particularly uncommon occurrence and I was a recipient on at least one occasion. In my own case I had been pushed naked out of a fire door and had run around to the front of the school to get back in. It was in the mid sixties and "streaking" was one of the prohibited things which were often done for dares.

@kukus1 at home as well but not often.

@Tuscan Till what age? On bare or on clothes?

@chikki only the headmaster caned boys in private the other teachers usually administered any punishments in front of the class. Particularly serious offences were sometimes dealt with in front of the entire school at the end of morning assembly.

@Tuscan As a deputy i never caned a boy in front of the school nor did the head. When i was at school i saw six public canings in assembly in six years. To my regret i was actual in one of these. Some of us were envolved in a fight with another school in the park. We were reported and had to see the head at lunch. We were told our offence and informed that next day in assembly were were to come on stage in just pe shorts (no pants) and with the school watching would get six of the cane on our bottoms for disgracing the school. (I and the other nine, were clearly on top of the fight. We do wonder if we had really beaten them up we may not have been caned. Yes, we may have been let off as we were defending the honour of the school !!!)
I can tell you it was horrid waiting for the next day knowing in assembly i was going to get six of the cane and the head used a thicker cane than teachers and really whacked your bottom. I was greatful that i was allowed shorts. That gratitude was short live as the first boy was called to the chair to bend over with his bottom facing the assembly. To my shock and thst of others he was told to remove his shorts. He was caned, as were the rest of us. The sound of the cane echoed around the hall each time it landed on the bottom. We had to stand, in the nude, hands on head with bottoms facing the assembly until it ended. It was about 45 minutes of agony standing their not daring to rub our throbbing bottoms. Some of the boys enjoyed seeing us caned but some were really scared.

@ArishMell it would appear that similar worlds is also comprised of fairly salacious members of all age groups.

@Tuscan I think so too! :-)

@Tuscan one thing i know is that its still been apply in medal-east

@Tuscan may I correct you...1986 was the date it was banned in State schools but was not until September 1999 was it banned on private schools

@chikki yes I believe that is correct.

As one of the more disruptive pupils, I can't say that getting hit ever modified my own behaviour for any prolonged period of time. @Gumba1000

@Tuscan Well you're just a tough nut aren't you?

@Gumba1000 I don't think I was actually, I just realised that the punishments were not particularly severe, or perhaps it was a case of familiarity breeding contempt. A cricket ball hurt far more and we played cricket for fun.

@Peaches I can only remember a couple of teachers who were really mean, but almost all the teachers used physical punishment,from time to time. I don't think it damaged any of us in any way, but I don't really think it was effective either.

@alabamasj Perhaps it still is in Alabama but over here in the UK we abolished corporal punishment in schools 40 years ago.

@bijouxbroussard is that the boys or the teachers?

@Tuscan The whole atmosphere.

@bijouxbroussard I can only agree, although it didn't seem so at the time.