I'm not making this up...teachers used to paddle their students. It was an accepted and expected form of discipline. I was paddled myself a couple times when I was a kid; once for quacking like a duck in Biology class and once for pointing out an error in my Algebra teacher's calculation. Both of those paddlings took place in Michigan, and both were when I was an 8th grader. Our Algebra teacher was an awesome paddler. As students acted out or messed up in some way, he put names on the board. At the end of the hour, he made tournament-like brackets with all the names and flipped a coin to see who advanced until he ended up with one name who took the hit for the whole class. So you can imagine how much learning took place for the students whose names were on the board, waiting to see who would end up "winning" the paddle tourney!
My first teaching job was as an 8th grade English teacher. I worked in one of those old, three-story brick school buildings, and I was on the second floor. One hot, fall day, I asked a boy to open the back windows, which he did. He lingered at the window for a while and then sat back down. A few minutes later, my principal came storming into my room and dragged the boy out of his desk and out into the hall. Apparently, the boy had dropped a bunch of crayons out the window, which explained the lingering. After school, I was summoned to the principal's office as a witness. "Bend over!" bellowed the principal, and for a second there I thought he was talking to me. Then he picked up his weapon and twirled it. Nothing invoked fear in a middle school kid quite like the school paddle. They were made out of hard wood about an inch thick. The really effective ones had penny-sized holes drilled in them to make them swing harder and faster. This particular principal made the kids sign his paddle after he hit them with it. The kid had to grab his ankles and hold still for three hard whacks, each one lifting him off his feet a little. I didn't cry, but I almost did. I didn't want to be one of those mean teachers, and yet there I was watching a really nice kid possibly getting his butt bones splintered. From then on, I made sure my students stayed out of trouble. The principal never again saw any of them do anything wrong in my room. In retrospect, maybe there was some method to his madness.
Both my parents went to Catholic Schools until the 8th grade. I was told stories about paddlings that took place in the Catholic Schools. My mom told me one disruptive boy would be paddled regularly. The principal would shut the door and the students could hear the boy screaming away as he was getting paddled behind closed doors. Schools have come a long way since then. Paddling is unheard of now. Many schools have gone the other way. I think some educators are afraid to punish in any form because of repercussions from parents.
ReplyDeleteI too remember when my Elementary teacher used methods of discipline that would definitely get someone fired. I had K-3 in a two classroom schoolhouse. I remember a few incidents where a ruler was used to smack the knuckles of one of my classmates because they weren't paying attention or his handwriting was not legible. Another incident was when a girl (my cousin) was tied up in a chair because she wouldn't sit still.
ReplyDeleteToday, as a substitute teacher, students either behave really well or see how they push it. I always introduce myself, tell them that I am a "REAL", certified teacher, and will expect them to follow their classroom rules just as their "Regular" teacher does.
I am firm, fair, and smile at them. I think a lot of the behavior problems exist because "You encourage what you tolerate." If you give them an inch, they'll take a mile. While subbing, I find that students talk about me. I am often told, "Mrs. Lassi, you're not like other subs, you actually know what you're doing." Out of the mouths of babes. I love teaching.
I can't wait to read more of your stories. Thanks for sharing!
Rachael Lassi~21 Things Classmate
12 years of Catholic Schooling....no paddles, no hitting.....but lots and lots school work, religious ed classes and endless French lessons. Good memories, but also tons of laughs!
ReplyDeleteI remember those paddles too, although the first time I witnessed someone actually getting paddled was in my seventh grade science class. One of the "bad boys" made a nasty comment to what the teacher was saying. He didn't send the boy to the office, but instead called him to the front of the room, told him to grab his ankles and gave him one smack on the seat. From that day forward none of us every gave that teacher a hard time.
ReplyDeleteI know we have come along way since then with classroom control and sometimes it can be challenging.
Thanks for sharing your stories. I look forward to reading more of your posts.