I used the cane and I now wonder if I was right to do so.

I was a teacher from the late 1960s until the late 1980s - a fairly short career as these things go although I was quite successful - spent my last few years as a Head Teacher.

Part of my job was to use corporal punishment. I believed then that I was doing this in the best interests of the children I taught and I'd like to continue to believe that. But I find myself in a world now where we're constantly being told this was bad for children and that worries me immensely. I just can't reconcile it with what I saw as a teacher. I saw it work. I saw it turn children around. I saw it help children. I really do think that's true. But I take psychological and pedagogical research seriously and I can't reconcile it with what I saw myself.

I am honestly horrified at the idea I might have harmed these children.

Sharon · F

CP was banned in UK state schools in 1987. Did you teach in a private school?

Some schools and teachers had a sexist policy of only beating boys. That was clearly abuse as they must have had some other way of disciplining girls that they could have used with boys too. The fact that they [b]chose[/b] to beat boys instead is strong evidence they were abusive perverts.

Some teachers (male and female) were just sadists who got their kicks from beating children, of either sex.