The earliest mention of the school paddle in the USA 77

KKxyz

3,59957

Jul 28, 2018#761

KKxyz wrote: Philippines

As noted previously, both the school and fraternity paddle are known in the Philippines. They very likely came from the USA.

The American invasion of the Philippines in 1898 was opportunistic. The United States was at war with Spain in support of revolution in Spanish colonies. The Philippines hosted an obsolete part the Spanish Navy, so it was attacked. The American attack was far more successful than anticipated. The Spanish surrendered and control of the colony passed to the USA.

The US decided to keep the Philippines in their control amid considerable internal and external controversy. There were several reasons for this decision:

  1. The Philippines provided a base of operations for American interests in the Pacific and East Asia (commercial, industrial, and military), while denying such a base to a rival power;
  2. It enhanced American prestige by giving the United States a sizable colony, and increased influence;
  3. The Filipinos were generally not regarded as fit to govern themselves (the Filipinos, naturally, disagreed), and many in the U.S. and without encouraged it undertake a civilizing mission.

The US rapidly introduced public education in English to the Philippines, and presumably the paddle and fraternity hazing. The first teachers were volunteer US soldiers. They were followed soon after by teachers sent from the USA. Who were these people? What was their background and motivation? Some Filipinos were sent to the USA for tertiary education.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education … rican_rule

I have found very little concerning school paddles in the Philippines but a lot about fraternity hazing and very serious abuses. There are a lot of fraternities. They began soon after occupation and increased in numbers since. The paddles are often grossly oversized and very dangerous.

Jul 28, 2018#762

PaddleOrigin.gif (26.57KiB)US courts in various states have supported teachers in using CP provided the punishment is inline with what a “kind and judicious parent” might reasonable apply. Such a standard does not of itself require a paddle to be used but would encourage teachers to use the same implements commonly used by parents at home.

Jul 29, 2018#763

Kind and judicious

I have discussed the expression “kind and judicious” a number of times above. The term was applied to kings and governments before it appeared in school rules, court rulings and other places. The expression peaked in frequency in US publications circa 1845. [This does not necessarily mean the term was used less subsequently.]

Teachers are or were commonly assumed to be acting in the place of parents when children are in school or under the care of the school, known as in parentis in loco (Latin for “in the place of a parent”), so the kind and judicious parent would seem to be appropriate standard. It is not an absolute standard but one that shifts as society evolves. [Compare “The man on the Clapham omnibus”.]

Interestingly, in British-tradition jurisdictions, the acceptability or otherwise of parental CP has been assessed by comparison with what a school master might reasonably use, as assessed by judges who attended schools known for their harsh punishments.

https://books.google.com/ngrams

Kind&judicious.gif (16.47KiB)

.

Jul 29, 2018#764

Code: Select all

A paddle/shingle has never been a common domestic instrument of correction in the USA.  The rod (back)and the ferule (hands) are school instruments of correction often reference via library of congress newspapers. Was the hornbook commonly used to hit students?  That I'm not sure of for I always though of it as an educational tool. There are dual purposes even for slide rulers. 

Jul 29, 2018#765

The word ferule has an interesting timeline for usage.

https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?c … le%3B%2Cc0

KKxyz

3,59957

Jul 29, 2018#766

Thanks American Way.

I have found no evidence that the hornbook was used as a paddle. I am not the first to notice the resemblance to the fraternity paddle or to wonder if it might have been used for spanking. I suspect hornbooks would have been considered too valuable to risk breaking. I think I have discussed this before, somewhere above.

I have found a number of mentions of domestic / parental use of paddles and paddle-like implements above. I have no idea of the relative popularity of switches, belts and the like in US homes and how this might have varied from state to state or over time.

Moving goods was difficult before railways and modern highways if you did not live close to navigable water. This meant communities had to be largely self sufficient. They made use of what was to hand.

Jul 31, 2018#767

When did they start signing school paddles?  When was the first time the play on words, “Board of Education.”  Governing bodies were not always called boards.

This Cherokee Heritage Paddle was shown on a tour.  To this day Oklahoma allows switching though I have never heard of a case.  I didn’t think teachers would allow students signed the paddle in that era, but I was wrong.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ … yer%29.jpg

http://www.cherokeeheritage.org/attract … ool-house/

KKxyz

3,59957

Sep 19, 2018#768

Strict fathers

What a “kind and judicious parent” might do appears to be the legal standard for judging what is appropriate and acceptable in American schools in places where school CP was or is used, now mainly rural districts in Southern states.

Recently, I came upon the term “strict father” which seems to encompass the notion that fathers were responsible for family discipline as a counter to kind and nurturing mothers, a division of labours and responsibilities that will seem wrong to some. Some may remember the threat “wait until your father gets home” dating from the days when fathers went out to work and mothers stayed home to keep house and mind the children.

Do strict fathers continue reign in school districts where school paddling continues?
Strict-father.gif (16.02KiB)

Dec 22, 2018#769

Why was / is the school paddle the preferred implement in the USA, especially in the South?

I comment here in part to keep this topic from dropping down the list and out of view, and in part to invite newer members of this forum to take and interest and to contribute if they can.

I began by looking for early mentions of the school as opposed to the slave paddle, hence the title of this thread. The theory was and is that early mentions might provide insight into when and why the paddle came to be so popular. Unfortunately, this approach has not been very fruitful. I expanded the search into every avenue that I can think of or was suggested by forum members. This has resulted in a long thread lacking in structure with themes coming and going, and often returning.

It is often suggested that the school paddle is a derivative of the slave paddle. Its use was favoured by the desire not to leave lasting marks on the merchandise. The time lapse between the abolition of slavery and the beginning of compulsory education, and the widespread use of paddles in schools suggests there is unlikely to be a direct link. This and other related matters are investigated discussed above.

My interest in the paddle is in part because I believe it is far from and ideal implement for CP. This view is discussed in a number of other threads.

Quote
Share

Dec 25, 2018#770

The influence of private boarding schools in the USA on school CP and the adoption of the paddle

So called English ” public schools* ” and especially boarding schools did much to establish customs and practice, including the use of CP, in the high schools in the United Kingdom and in countries of the former British Empire. Schools subsequently established for the growing middle class, both public and private. tended to emulate the practices of the established schools which were seen as best practice.

Private schools were and are generally less numerous and less important in the USA than in the UK. They tend to be concentrated in the East and in New England where the paddle never gained favour. Their role, especially of the so-called military academies in establishing or normalizing SCP in the USA needs investigation.
Few school histories seem to have been published / are available online.

[* = Privately owned schools open to the public or at least to the sons of wealthy parents with sufficient money and social standing and therefore called “public schools” in contrast to private schools that were not open to the public. ]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_b … ted_States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U … _academies

Read more posts (121 remaining)
weboy