My Teaching Experience Part 1
After completing my Geography degree I was unsure what to do and was persuaded to try teaching. I studied for my PGCE in 1982 with a view to getting a teaching post at the start of the next school year. My placement was at a mixed comprehensive just outside of Bristol and was an eye opener. I wondered how on earth I’d be able to control a class of 30 teenagers and questioned whether I was doing the right thing. At that time corporal punishment was starting to be phased out by some local authorities, ahead of the ban that came into force in 1986. This school seemed to be making the most of it’s continued use, as it seemed that every day someone was either caned or slippered, It was mostly the boys who got it but girls were also on the receiving end. Obviously being a student I wasn’t allowed to use it, and I never even saw it given.
My first teaching post was as a junior Geography teacher in another mixed comprehensive in Gloucestershire. I also helped out with PE on occasions, mainly covering but also assisting with after school activities. This school also used corporal punishment but girls rarely ever got it. The exception was in PE, where the head of girls PE, Mrs Mason, used the plimsoll when necessary. It was here that I witnessed my first slippering. Two 4th year girls got into a fight in the sports hall and Mrs Mason stopped all activity so that she could punish the girls. She instructed one of the two to remove one of her plimsolls and hand it over, and then to bend and touch her toes. Her PE skirt rode up giving the teacher a perfect target of her green gym knickers. In a matter of less than a minute, six hard whacks had been delivered and the tears flowed fast and furious. The next victim suffered no better and both were sent to the changing rooms as an additional punishment.
Again as a junior teacher, I wasn’t permitted to punish anyone, and I was content with that situation. I was enjoying my teaching but I was advised by a colleague that I should move on, as my path to promotion was blocked by several other members of the department, so I started looking. I was very lucky and my first application landed me a post at a private school not far from my current school. It came with a pay rise and the prospect of promotion as well.
I started in the September and was greeted by all of the new staff very warmly. It was an induction day for staff, with the pupils - mixed secondary age - due to begin term in two days time.I was given my timetable and details of my tutor group and was told to see the school secretary, Gillian James, for my supplies. I went along to see her and amongst the pile of books and stationery was a shoe box. I lifted the lid and found two well worn plimsolls. She must have seen the shock on my face.
“You did realise that you would be administering corporal punishment, didn’t you?” She asked
“I had no idea, and I didn’t ask because I just assumed I wouldn’t.” I replied
“There’s a sheet of paper with rules you need to read, and I’m sure one of your colleagues can give you advice.”
I left the office in a bit of daze and headed back to the staff room. Once there, I opened the box and took out the plimsolls. Both were size 6, white lace ups and had seen better days. The soles were worn down a bit and i ran my hands over them. One of my colleagues saw me and came over.
“I see Gillian has sorted you out with your plimsolls. I think she enjoys that part of her job very much.” A young male teacher told me.
I nervously laughed and replied “Yes, she has. Why two though?”
“They have a habit of going missing, if the little sods find out where you keep it, so always keep your spare one in your locker in here. Have a read of the rules and regs and let me know if you have any questions.”
I left school that evening with my shoebox and supplies. At home, Mum and my two younger sisters asked me how it had gone. I told them about the school and my colleagues and showed them my shoe box. I lifted the lid to gasps from all three. Mum and Dad had never smacked us growing up and we’d never been in trouble at school either, but we all knew others who’d been less fortunate and experienced a whacking from parents or teachers. They were aghast that I’d now have to use it on others.
My first teaching post was as a junior Geography teacher in another mixed comprehensive in Gloucestershire. I also helped out with PE on occasions, mainly covering but also assisting with after school activities. This school also used corporal punishment but girls rarely ever got it. The exception was in PE, where the head of girls PE, Mrs Mason, used the plimsoll when necessary. It was here that I witnessed my first slippering. Two 4th year girls got into a fight in the sports hall and Mrs Mason stopped all activity so that she could punish the girls. She instructed one of the two to remove one of her plimsolls and hand it over, and then to bend and touch her toes. Her PE skirt rode up giving the teacher a perfect target of her green gym knickers. In a matter of less than a minute, six hard whacks had been delivered and the tears flowed fast and furious. The next victim suffered no better and both were sent to the changing rooms as an additional punishment.
Again as a junior teacher, I wasn’t permitted to punish anyone, and I was content with that situation. I was enjoying my teaching but I was advised by a colleague that I should move on, as my path to promotion was blocked by several other members of the department, so I started looking. I was very lucky and my first application landed me a post at a private school not far from my current school. It came with a pay rise and the prospect of promotion as well.
I started in the September and was greeted by all of the new staff very warmly. It was an induction day for staff, with the pupils - mixed secondary age - due to begin term in two days time.I was given my timetable and details of my tutor group and was told to see the school secretary, Gillian James, for my supplies. I went along to see her and amongst the pile of books and stationery was a shoe box. I lifted the lid and found two well worn plimsolls. She must have seen the shock on my face.
“You did realise that you would be administering corporal punishment, didn’t you?” She asked
“I had no idea, and I didn’t ask because I just assumed I wouldn’t.” I replied
“There’s a sheet of paper with rules you need to read, and I’m sure one of your colleagues can give you advice.”
I left the office in a bit of daze and headed back to the staff room. Once there, I opened the box and took out the plimsolls. Both were size 6, white lace ups and had seen better days. The soles were worn down a bit and i ran my hands over them. One of my colleagues saw me and came over.
“I see Gillian has sorted you out with your plimsolls. I think she enjoys that part of her job very much.” A young male teacher told me.
I nervously laughed and replied “Yes, she has. Why two though?”
“They have a habit of going missing, if the little sods find out where you keep it, so always keep your spare one in your locker in here. Have a read of the rules and regs and let me know if you have any questions.”
I left school that evening with my shoebox and supplies. At home, Mum and my two younger sisters asked me how it had gone. I told them about the school and my colleagues and showed them my shoe box. I lifted the lid to gasps from all three. Mum and Dad had never smacked us growing up and we’d never been in trouble at school either, but we all knew others who’d been less fortunate and experienced a whacking from parents or teachers. They were aghast that I’d now have to use it on others.
