Most of us coped surprisingly well, some better than others. For some boys it was undoubtedly an ordeal. Some boys worried about it a lot if they knew they were in for a major whacking. In the second term of the first year we had a recorder lesson every week in Music. The teacher had a somewhat peculiar method for encouraging boys to remember their recorders; anyone who forgot his recorder got one whack of the slipper in week 1, two whacks in week 2, three whacks in week 3, and so on. About half a dozen boys lined up for the slipper in week 1. In week 2 there were a couple and by week four nobody was forgetting their recorder.