The Tawse in the gym.- do not judge a book by its cover.
Poll - Total Votes: 3
Six of the best as in that gym
300 lines that evening
Modern suspension for a week
You may vote on multiple answers, up to 2.
Early 80s - Myself and another lad circa 17-18 yo had flared up at each other on the football (soccer) field after a bad tackle.
We heard the whistle blow once long which was our PE teachers way of signalling desist immediately. But unfortunately we continued with the swinging .She arrived over blowing insistently.
We broke apart.
We regained normal “mode” and apologised ;realising we had put her in a very awkward position. She was covering our class because of illness. It should have been easy. Senior top set football. Our apology was genuine and mature. 2 6ft boys shouldn’t put a 5ft 4 blond teacher in that position. It was wrong. We got that. We were mature.
She said “you two get to the gym right now. “
As we walked to the gym Patrick and I chatted no hard feelings etc. I had a bad feeling right enough though. I’d heard the girls gossiping that Miss McClellan was a devil with the belt. I shared this with Patrick. Don’t be ridiculous we’re in 6th year. We’ll get ticked off. At worst the plimsoll. She’s a girl be cool man..
I wasn’t so sure- she had a steady trade in belting the girls who forgot kit or refused PE right up to 6th year. She literally would have used her belt thousands of times.
We reflexly took our shoes off on the wooden sprung floor and sat by the wall bars.
Half an hour later we heard the commotion within the changing rooms as they filled and in came Miss Mclellan .
You have to appreciate the scene She is 5 ft 4. Yet in those days all the female PE teachers wore hockey skirts and polo tops with trainers and socks. It was initially distracting but became common place. As seen every day. Ennui sets in for almost anything
She read us the riot act. -aggression immaturity failing to separate on her whistle especially. Unforgivable. Ultimately she got to the crux.
“I’m going to strap you both”and you will remember it”
Patrick and I looked at each other. She headed to the ante office they used.
Paddy said “ Thank Christ I thought she was going to send us up to the deputy headmaster there. Cheer up we’re getting off a bit easy here”. But I just didn’t feel it.
She emerged with a thick brown tawse. 2 thongs splitting the action end. She straightened the reluctant leather out of its stiff coil and faced us. She worked the 2 tails as she spoke -so they would move freely. It became clear she had chosen a very heavy strap for the punishment
“Whose first?”
Paddy. I was hesitant.
Straight into position arms straight out at the shoulders. One hand on top of the other-SOP to prevent us drawing away and to maximise the strike. She put her strap up and over her shoulder. Used her free hand to lower his hands down. His classic stance being too high for her.
Final instructions.
“Keep your hands there. , swap after each stroke. No dramatics and try to take it like a senior boy”
He actually smiled at that outrageous slur .
Over the next 3 minutes I watched in disbelief as she strapped him relentlessly for a full six of the best. He took the first 3 in reasonable order At the fourth he broke. - yelping and shaking his hands furiously. Dancing on the spot. Her swing seemed relaxed with a wrist flick at the apposite moment. Timing perfect By the fifth he was in crisis mode. Trying to keep his trembling hands up clenching his jaw eyes filling.
“40 love I suspect Mr Delaney. “
The sixth stroke she changed stance from parallel feet to left foot forward this time- as she swung she transferred her weight front to back with full follow through. Paddy howled. Spun away immediately, both hands under his arms. He hid from view but it was clear he was starting to tear.
“Ah an ace to finish with excellent. “I had just been treated to this chocolate box pretty diminutive teacher in a gym skirt utterly humbling my peer despite him being far taller and muscular.
I took a different tack.
No smiles no defiance.
“ Miss I don’t think I can take this”
“Well you simply will have to”
“Can I do lines?”
She snorted. “Absolutely not..Now get them up or I’ll add extra “
And so it started
As the strap went over her shoulder I tensed and held my breath. I noticed those cruel thongs had been darkened by the palms of god knows how many students.
I held out to about 4 Then it got a bit leery. She had to straighten my shaking clawed fingers for the last. They were beyond my control She served an ace as before. and I was standing there aged 18 trying and inexorably failing not to shed tears in front of a woman teacher. A young mother . 8 inches smaller than I.
“Well I think that was an another game to. Love. You two shouldn’t play games you lose so badly. As opponents you were barely worth the effort. Girls in the hockey team put up more resistance ”
Then
“Right you two what does a whistle mean ?”
“ Stop immediately miss”
“When”
“Immediately Miss” we chanted like first years.
She told us to follow her to her office where she allowed us to clean our faces in the sink and compose ourselves.
She refolded her strap and replaced it in her handbag.
“-if this happens again it will be six full aces understood? “
“Yes miss “ we chanted like infants.
“Dismissed!”
Everyone in the changing rooms had heard every stroke. Instead of the usual ribbing we were given a little space.
I don’t blame her. In her own way she was merciful Nothing to affect our university references The normal was to punish us in front of the class “pour encourager les autres.”
She spared us the humiliation and even let us hide those tear stains. The strapping ,while astounding, was perfectly controlled, livid weals all over my hands but not a stray weal on wrist or forearms.
My then girlfriend confirmed she’d been in the national tennis training squad. Clarified things a bit
Those 70s/80s teachers ran by a different code.
We heard the whistle blow once long which was our PE teachers way of signalling desist immediately. But unfortunately we continued with the swinging .She arrived over blowing insistently.
We broke apart.
We regained normal “mode” and apologised ;realising we had put her in a very awkward position. She was covering our class because of illness. It should have been easy. Senior top set football. Our apology was genuine and mature. 2 6ft boys shouldn’t put a 5ft 4 blond teacher in that position. It was wrong. We got that. We were mature.
She said “you two get to the gym right now. “
As we walked to the gym Patrick and I chatted no hard feelings etc. I had a bad feeling right enough though. I’d heard the girls gossiping that Miss McClellan was a devil with the belt. I shared this with Patrick. Don’t be ridiculous we’re in 6th year. We’ll get ticked off. At worst the plimsoll. She’s a girl be cool man..
I wasn’t so sure- she had a steady trade in belting the girls who forgot kit or refused PE right up to 6th year. She literally would have used her belt thousands of times.
We reflexly took our shoes off on the wooden sprung floor and sat by the wall bars.
Half an hour later we heard the commotion within the changing rooms as they filled and in came Miss Mclellan .
You have to appreciate the scene She is 5 ft 4. Yet in those days all the female PE teachers wore hockey skirts and polo tops with trainers and socks. It was initially distracting but became common place. As seen every day. Ennui sets in for almost anything
She read us the riot act. -aggression immaturity failing to separate on her whistle especially. Unforgivable. Ultimately she got to the crux.
“I’m going to strap you both”and you will remember it”
Patrick and I looked at each other. She headed to the ante office they used.
Paddy said “ Thank Christ I thought she was going to send us up to the deputy headmaster there. Cheer up we’re getting off a bit easy here”. But I just didn’t feel it.
She emerged with a thick brown tawse. 2 thongs splitting the action end. She straightened the reluctant leather out of its stiff coil and faced us. She worked the 2 tails as she spoke -so they would move freely. It became clear she had chosen a very heavy strap for the punishment
“Whose first?”
Paddy. I was hesitant.
Straight into position arms straight out at the shoulders. One hand on top of the other-SOP to prevent us drawing away and to maximise the strike. She put her strap up and over her shoulder. Used her free hand to lower his hands down. His classic stance being too high for her.
Final instructions.
“Keep your hands there. , swap after each stroke. No dramatics and try to take it like a senior boy”
He actually smiled at that outrageous slur .
Over the next 3 minutes I watched in disbelief as she strapped him relentlessly for a full six of the best. He took the first 3 in reasonable order At the fourth he broke. - yelping and shaking his hands furiously. Dancing on the spot. Her swing seemed relaxed with a wrist flick at the apposite moment. Timing perfect By the fifth he was in crisis mode. Trying to keep his trembling hands up clenching his jaw eyes filling.
“40 love I suspect Mr Delaney. “
The sixth stroke she changed stance from parallel feet to left foot forward this time- as she swung she transferred her weight front to back with full follow through. Paddy howled. Spun away immediately, both hands under his arms. He hid from view but it was clear he was starting to tear.
“Ah an ace to finish with excellent. “I had just been treated to this chocolate box pretty diminutive teacher in a gym skirt utterly humbling my peer despite him being far taller and muscular.
I took a different tack.
No smiles no defiance.
“ Miss I don’t think I can take this”
“Well you simply will have to”
“Can I do lines?”
She snorted. “Absolutely not..Now get them up or I’ll add extra “
And so it started
As the strap went over her shoulder I tensed and held my breath. I noticed those cruel thongs had been darkened by the palms of god knows how many students.
I held out to about 4 Then it got a bit leery. She had to straighten my shaking clawed fingers for the last. They were beyond my control She served an ace as before. and I was standing there aged 18 trying and inexorably failing not to shed tears in front of a woman teacher. A young mother . 8 inches smaller than I.
“Well I think that was an another game to. Love. You two shouldn’t play games you lose so badly. As opponents you were barely worth the effort. Girls in the hockey team put up more resistance ”
Then
“Right you two what does a whistle mean ?”
“ Stop immediately miss”
“When”
“Immediately Miss” we chanted like first years.
She told us to follow her to her office where she allowed us to clean our faces in the sink and compose ourselves.
She refolded her strap and replaced it in her handbag.
“-if this happens again it will be six full aces understood? “
“Yes miss “ we chanted like infants.
“Dismissed!”
Everyone in the changing rooms had heard every stroke. Instead of the usual ribbing we were given a little space.
I don’t blame her. In her own way she was merciful Nothing to affect our university references The normal was to punish us in front of the class “pour encourager les autres.”
She spared us the humiliation and even let us hide those tear stains. The strapping ,while astounding, was perfectly controlled, livid weals all over my hands but not a stray weal on wrist or forearms.
My then girlfriend confirmed she’d been in the national tennis training squad. Clarified things a bit
Those 70s/80s teachers ran by a different code.
