I have to wonder though what was going through a teacher’s mind while he was inspecting a boy’s bent over backside?
That teacher who left tram tracks which lasted into the third week must have been extremely fit, to say the least. Imagine taking four from him!
In my day (1950s) boys respected a man who caned hard. Six was the norm but older youths could be given up to twelve strokes. You stayed down until told you could get up, and eventually left his study with your backside in flames.
While there were excesses, I still think the cane did less ‘damage’ than sarcasm. An acid reproof could crush a fragile ego. We had one female teacher who boxed ears so hard our teeth rattled. God knows how many boys suffered permanent hearing loss as a result of that punishment.
