School Whackings

I remember at secondary school in a metal work class, seeing a lad get whacked a couple of times with a metal ruler over his school trousers. Did anyone else ever see/got punished with any different implements?

Well there was Miss O an her wooden pencil case of course

Carlos,

Please, your report would be a great more interesting if you were to provide a few details – without outing anyone of course. When, where, why, who, spring to mind. What was the lad’s response, ditto yours and the classes?

If the ruler were to land edge-on it would act as a blunt sword. Even if it were to land flat the square corners have the potential to cut.

I am always concerned when devices such as rulers and pencil cases are misused. The abuse indicates a reprehensible disregard for science, technology, precision and accuracy, or gross ignorance.

Believe me it wasn’t misused, from what I remember the lad in question was messing around. Mr S (who was also deputy head) picked up the ruler off the desk as he walked behind him and in a flash just whacked the lad twice. I don’t think it particularly hurt him. I think he was more embarrassed as he would have been 12/13 at the time, and I think the class found it amusing!
Corporal punishment was dished out at this school- plimsoll/ cane (I only attended it for a couple of years) it was mostly done in private. I was once on the receiving end of the plimsoll.

I remember a board ruler (a long piece of flat wood with a cross piece at one end used for drawing straight lines on the black board) being used informally on one boy.  Just one whack and although ‘light-hearted’ in the manner given, seemed to pack a good deal of discomfort as there was much rubbing following.

Thomas52 wrote:I remember a board ruler (a long piece of flat wood with a cross piece at one end used for drawing straight lines on the black board) being used informally on one boy.  Just one whack and although ‘light-hearted’ in the manner given, seemed to pack a good deal of discomfort as there was much rubbing following.

I remember this in the last year of junior school. Not really a large ruler but a large T square. The class teacher held the shorter thicker part and whacked the other end of the longer part across the seat of short trousers. Girls watched but were ever punished that way.

we had a music teacher who used a different implement. he would call you to his desk give you a piece of wood tell you to bite on it and bend over the desk.he would then get a old violin bow with no strings and then wack you with it.very painful.

Carlos wrote:I remember at secondary school in a metalwork class, seeing a lad get whacked a couple of times with a metal ruler over his school trousers. Did anyone else ever see/got punished with any different implements?

There were two metalwork teachers in my grammar school (West Country UK, late 50s to mid 60s), classes were split in two between the two teachers. The younger teacher, I was told, used a metal ruler across the bottom. I was in the other half of the class with the much older teacher. He used a proper school cane as I found out when I switched a lathe on with the chuck key still in it. I was bent over a workshop bench with the other boys grouped around. The cane was fetched from the cupboard and was firmly swished three times across the seat of my trousers. A lesson in workshop safety for the whole group.

I think some teachers were quite creative in thinking of things to swipe boys with.  I believe in my earlier post I was referring to a T-square rather than a board ruler, so thanks to six of the best for correcting my memory.

One ‘creative’ young science teacher used the rubber tubing from a bunsen burner to ill-effect until a complaint from a parent.  The Head put a stop to it, quite rightly.

Thomas52 wrote:

“One ‘creative’ young science teacher used the rubber tubing from a bunsen burner to ill-effect until a complaint from a parent.”

As those of us who have felt it can testify, whether in anger or fun, it hurts!  But it doesn’t cause any lasting discomfort or do any significant damage.

Thomas52,

Please, what was the “ill-effect”? Did the tube land where it shouldn’t?

What did the parent specifically complain about? I presume they had no objection to the cane which does leave marks if effectively applied.

I think the mother complained because her son had received quite a lot of severe cp from this same teacher.  I’m not aware if the exact nature of the complaint, but the boy had run away because he has been threatened with the rubber tubing again.  It was delivered to the seat of the trousers, I believe (he wasn’t in my class, but it was much talked about by his classmates).  The parents did not object to the cane as part of the punishment for running away was punishment from the Headmaster (and he was known for leaving marks) and I think the ban was a side-product of the Head becoming aware of the free use of the tubing.