Things teachers did decades ago that wouldn’t fly today…

In parochial school any staff could(and would) beat you with a leather belt for typical infractions- being late to or from recess, being out-of bounds(like in prison). In public school the gym teachers or the Boy's Vice Principal could beat you with a leather belt for ditching assembly or smoking on the athletic field, etc.
 

Had a 7th grade art teacher tell me a ceramic seagull head I made was the ugliest thing she had ever seen.

But I got even I glued the drawer in her desk shut. This was just one of many crazy things she did to the kids, but we gave it back to her many times over. A few weeks after critiquing my art she disappeared and was replaced, without explanation to us. Looking back I feel a bit bad about how I behaved, I think she had a breakdown or something. Her behavior became quite erratic. We didn't help much. 7th graders can be mean.

I think I still have that seagull head somewhere, my mother saved it. Last I looked at it I decided the art teacher wasn't far wrong.

Was paddled many a time with one that looked a lot like @PamfromTx 's picture. Probably deserved it...
 
Last edited:
I told this story in a prior baseball post but I like telling it so will tell it again. We had a teacher who liked to grab students by the shoulder and pinch down hard on the nerves there. One day he caught me trading food at the cafeteria so he grabbed my neck like that and led me by the neck to the stage that was in the cafeteria and eat alone up there in front of all the students. My neck hurt for the rest of the day. This teachers name was Mr. Gentry. Baseball fans might remember his son, Gary Gentry. It was at that time my life long hatred of the NY Mets began and I became a Baltimore Orioles fan because soon after that the Mets faced the Orioles in the 69 World Series. I once met Gary Gentry and told him the story and he laughed and said "Sounds like my dad". We also had another teacher named Mr. Patton (no relation). I was never in his class but our homeroom class in 6th grade was next to his homeroom and every now and then we could all here a thump on the wall. It was him pinning a student up against the wall.
 
Alligatorob said:
Had a 7th grade art teacher tell me a ceramic seagull head I made was the ugliest thing she had ever seen.

But I got even I glued the drawer in her desk shut. This was just one of many crazy things she did to the kids, but we gave it back to her many times over. A few weeks after critiquing my art she disappeared and was replaced, without explanation to us. Looking back I feel a bit bad about how I behaved, I think she had a breakdown or something. Her behavior became quite erratic. We didn't help much. 7th graders can be mean
Click to expand...
I have a similar story and it's nothing I'm proud of.

I was changing my grade in the teachers book and the teacher caught me, came up behind me and pulled me down onto the floor. We started scuffeling and I kicked him in the balls, a few weeks later he was gone. My English teacher then berated me in front of the class for causing him to have a breakdown and leave his job.

Not one of my proudest moments, something I've always regretted.
 
C50 said:
I have a similar story and it's nothing I'm proud of.

I was changing my grade in the teachers book and the teacher caught me, came up behind me and pulled me down onto the floor. We started scuffeling and I kicked him in the balls, a few weeks later he was gone. My English teacher then berated me in front of the class for causing him to have a breakdown and leave his job.

Not one of my proudest moments, something I've always regretted.
Click to expand...
Well he should never have thrown a kid to the floor and the English teacher should never have tried to make a student feel responsible for a breakdown which had probably been coming for years from all sorts of outside reasons, nothing to do with you.

This guy wasn't meant to teach, think of all the future students you saved from lasting harm!
 
When I was in high school, it seems that the gym teacher’s master key set was stolen. They couldn’t find the keys or the culprit, so the phys. ed. teacher decided to punish all of the male students, presumably in the hopes of getting someone who knew to break, and rat the culprit out.

We were punished by being made to stand at rigid attention for the entire duration of gym class for several gym classes to follow. A few kids actually fainted. I can remember feeling slightly lightheaded at times, plus bored out of my skull. I learned to flex different muscle groups and change my posture imperceptibly in the hopes of maintaining blood flow to my brain.

After several gym classes spent this way, the group punishments stopped without further explanation. I don’t know if they found the damn key set, or if enough parents complained to stop the punishments. I do know I’ll always remember the experience, and the unjustness of it all…
 
C50 said:
I have a similar story and it's nothing I'm proud of.

I was changing my grade in the teachers book and the teacher caught me, came up behind me and pulled me down onto the floor. We started scuffeling and I kicked him in the balls, a few weeks later he was gone. My English teacher then berated me in front of the class for causing him to have a breakdown and leave his job.

Not one of my proudest moments, something I've always regretted.
Click to expand...
I agree with Della... get rid of that Regret .. you were defending yourself from an Adult who had just attacked you, you have absolutely nothing to be sorry for, that man should never have been in that job in the first place...you did everyone else a favour !
 
I went to a small Catholic school. There were only 23 kids in my class. I had nuns. And they were like ninjas with a ruler. But that was only in early grade school. In high school, we had a nun, who was rather strong. If she smelled cigarette smoke, she had no problem walking into the "Boys' room. I remember when she found a repeated smoker. With her left arm, she lifted him off the floor, by grabbing his shirt. And with her right, she punched him. We called her "the enforcer". But that behavior was rare. We've knew the nuns for 12 years. We knew the given names. And, in those days, if a nun called your parents about your behavior, you got hell from your parents-big time.
 
Alligatorob said:
Had a 7th grade art teacher tell me a ceramic seagull head I made was the ugliest thing she had ever seen.

But I got even I glued the drawer in her desk shut. This was just one of many crazy things she did to the kids, but we gave it back to her many times over. A few weeks after critiquing my art she disappeared and was replaced, without explanation to us. Looking back I feel a bit bad about how I behaved, I think she had a breakdown or something. Her behavior became quite erratic. We didn't help much. 7th graders can be mean.
Click to expand...
My brother
 
Della said:
Well he should never have thrown a kid to the floor and the English teacher should never have tried to make a student feel responsible for a breakdown which had probably been coming for years from all sorts of outside reasons, nothing to do with you.

This guy wasn't meant to teach, think of all the future students you saved from lasting harm!
Click to expand...
Nice of you to say that but I don't agree. He was a new teacher and a wrestling coach and I think getting physical was his go too method of discipline, and with a kid like me physical dominance was the only thing that was going to work. I was a punk and he was just a guy trying to do his job, I absolutly should feel regret since I was the cause of the entire incident.
 
hollydolly said:
We used to get belted with the Tawse...it was very painful and would leave bruising..and sometimes cuts.. it was a thick short leather strap. Some sadistic teachers would soak theirs in vinegar to make it extra tough..

st810.jpg
Click to expand...
That’s not discipline. That’s child abuse of the worse kind. Even today, any man that would hit me with that weapon would be walking funny for weeks to come.
 
Nathan said:
In parochial school any staff could(and would) beat you with a leather belt for typical infractions- being late to or from recess, being out-of bounds(like in prison). In public school the gym teachers or the Boy's Vice Principal could beat you with a leather belt for ditching assembly or smoking on the athletic field, etc.
Click to expand...
Some of these posts sound more like child abuse and not discipline. I spent 12 years in public school and some kids got spanked, but I never heard of any kid getting a beating. If some of this stuff that went on back in the day, went on today, we may have some teachers in jail. My dad, before he died, gave me a whooping when I was 7 for saying that “new” word I learned at school that day. The next day he apologized. He said he should have just talked to me about it and why we don’t use that word.
 
hollydolly said:
It certinly is not, a teacher would find themselves in Court today..
Click to expand...
Not necessarily.. there are still numerous states that permit it https://www.infoplease.com/us/education/corporal-punishment-public-schools-state

It's just plain sickening. And worse yet when parents/caregivers don't have the right to object.
When my kids attended schools where it was permitted, I was perfectly clear: lay a hand or anything else on one of my kids and you won't live to see the next day.
 
JaniceM said:
Not necessarily.. there are still numerous states that permit it https://www.infoplease.com/us/education/corporal-punishment-public-schools-state

It's just plain sickening. And worse yet when parents/caregivers don't have the right to object.
When my kids attended schools where it was permitted, I was perfectly clear: lay a hand or anything else on one of my kids and you won't live to see the next day.
Click to expand...
Not in the UK..... it isn't permitted.. absolutely anywhere
 
Been There said:
Some of these posts sound more like child abuse and not discipline. I spent 12 years in public school and some kids got spanked, but I never heard of any kid getting a beating. If some of this stuff that went on back in the day, went on today, we may have some teachers in jail. My dad, before he died, gave me a whooping when I was 7 for saying that “new” word I learned at school that day. The next day he apologized. He said he should have just talked to me about it and why we don’t use that word.
Click to expand...
Well with a couple exceptions it was(is) my belief that the physical punishment was not justified for the offense, and more driven by anger of the punisher.
 
Nathan said:
Well with a couple exceptions it was(is) my belief that the physical punishment was not justified for the offense, and more driven by anger of the punisher.
Click to expand...
In my opinion, teachers/principals that go for this crap are nothing but bullies.

Additionally,
First, they don't seem to grasp kids of all ages are human beings;
Second, do these idiots really believe that type of environment is conducive to learning? I'm sure there are nitwits who'd say 'well, the kids should not DO anything wrong!' but it still causes a school environment to be one of fear rather than education.

Members who posted mentioned various locations- but much different than what I knew of.
As one example, when I lived in California and had an elementary-school student as a neighbor, I was told the KINDERGARTEN teacher walked up and down the aisles in the classroom with a 'paddle,' and frequently gave children (exact words) 'the beatings of their lives.'
Another: a guy slightly older than I who went through school in Iowa also talked about being beaten in school.
And when I was a student in NY, and there weren't any bad kids in the school, I duly noted the principal singled out wimpy, withdrawn students.
 
JaniceM said:
In my opinion, teachers/principals that go for this crap are nothing but bullies.
First, they don't seem to grasp kids of all ages are human beings
Click to expand...
I believe that was the crux of the issue, the kids were treated more like animals back them. Of course now it's understood that not only kids but animals respond to kindness rather than cruelty better while being trained.
 
Look at Mississippi. It's usually the last state academically and it's second to most in whippings.
How's that working for you, Mississippi?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top