The cane at school

[brenda barr]

Nico, our high schools have police on the school campus at all times, even have a police dog to sniff out drugs etc..plus metal detectors...which is a deterant on school grounds,...and the pregnant girls are in regular classes and some seem quite proud of their condition by wearing very tight tops advertising like look what i've been up too....now l'm sounding like an old fuddy duddy....or i've lived to long to see such a change in society .....Brenda

 

[David Weaver]

I'm sitting here killing myself laughing at us oldies confessing our sins of the past. What a naughty bunch we must have been and perhaps that's why we all turned out to be such good solid citizens. Looking at what is coming out of some schools today perhaps a few of those older methods weren't so evil after all. for let's face it, we can all write to each other to express ourselves. Kind Regards, David, not Taffy's Pet and that's for sure.

 

[David Weaver]

Hey Nico, I wished you had been in my class, we could have shared the load between us and been planning other stuff to keep the heat on. Love your work. Kind regards, David.

 

[David Weaver]

I had red hair and got the blame for ninety per-cent of all the troubles outside of school, when outsiders dobbed us in, but this was most unfair because I only caused half of it. I hate an injustice even to this day. Kind regards, David.

 

[Astoness]

I had red hair and got the blame for ninety per-cent of all the troubles outside of school, when outsiders dobbed us in, but this was most unfair because I only caused half of it. I hate an injustice even to this day. Kind regards, David.

lol david...think the worst thing we ever did at school was soaking blotting paper in the ink well roll it up stick it on the end of a ruler and flick it across the room teacher turned round from the blackboard just in time to see the said blotting paper flying and said stand up who did that...we all stood up got 500 lines and kept back 30 mins after school..naughty but quite harmless fun...happy days...

lyn

 

[Astonian]

well lyn
you was abit of a naughty girl was,nt you ;?. only joking don,t barr me from your threads wil you ,
but the bigger event of my schooling was when we had certain kids in our class but i surpose saying that it effects the whole class really
was in our first year of starting at ickneild street school we had a new teacher in the proffesion ; he was really disabled man wth one arm ; i felt sorry for him i will not say is name but in the first three months of him starting at the school half the class tormented him and the usal throwing
but he charged across the clas room and up the corner screaming and shouting out loud I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU LOT and he stated to kick is litter bin into peices
and battered it so he could not used it the head at the time came charging in to se what was happening he told the head we all know is name if you attended the school
the said teacher resigned and the next teacher whom came in was abit nasty and rough but he got the treatment that you said went on it cost him suit after suit
for damagng is clothes i eventualy left it was a school of trouble makers especialy the years i was there i had two cousins thee at the same time
they was respectful like me they never stood out as trouble the only trouble i had was a nipper i had a problem geting to school on time always up before the head as to why i am late best wishes alan ; astonian;

 

[Delyawindsor21]

Hallo Jean,

yes, I got the cane the week before I left senior school, AND it was not my fault, the girl who did the " dirty deed " would not own up and me being mean would not snitch, my I can remember it still now, how my poor hands hurt... not nice.

 

[David Weaver]

well lyn
you was abit of a naughty girl was,nt you ;?. only joking don,t barr me from your threads wil you ,
but the bigger event of my schooling was when we had certain kids in our class but i surpose saying that it effects the whole class really
was in our first year of starting at ickneild street school we had a new teacher in the proffesion ; he was really disabled man wth one arm ; i felt sorry for him i will not say is name but in the first three months of him starting at the school half the class tormented him and the usal throwing
but he charged across the clas room and up the corner screaming and shouting out loud I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU LOT and he stated to kick is litter bin into peices
and battered it so he could not used it the head at the time came charging in to se what was happening he told the head we all know is name if you attended the school
the said teacher resigned and the next teacher whom came in was abit nasty and rough but he got the treatment that you said went on it cost him suit after suit
for damagng is clothes i eventualy left it was a school of trouble makers especialy the years i was there i had two cousins thee at the same time
they was respectful like me they never stood ouIt't as trouble the only trouble i had was a nipper i had a problem geting to school on time always up before the head as to why i am late best wishes alan ; astonian;

It's 43 in the shade today, about 110 in the old money, and too hot for gardening so I had a sit down and a bit of a think and come to the following conclusion. If we all formed our own gang way back the Peaky Blinders would have crossed the road when they saw us coming and the Teddy Boys would have taken off to America. Kind Regards, David.

 

[I Am Nico]

Hey Nico, I wished you had been in my class, we could have shared the load between us and been planning other stuff to keep the heat on. Love your work. Kind regards, David.

David, I wan't naughty I just couldn't keep my chuckles in. I was labelled a swot by some as I had a briefcase which saved me from the boot. When it fell apart from the weight of the text books, I graduated to a duffle bag for my sports kit and a rucksack worn over one shoulder and I guess I fitted in a bit. Plus everyone writing all over it made me fit in the more.The art teacher called me the village idiot as I always saw the funny side of things. The Geog teacher said I was bolshy because I had an opinion. I was useless at sport so the one master bullied me. I used to knock up (in the biblical sense) our French teacher. She always overslept and she would give me a lift after I had got one bus to her house. I should have gone to another school after we moved house but I dug my heels in. I was npt very good at woodwork though I think if I had my time again I would be now, or metal work. I was afraid of the flame thrower. So 5 of us lads oped for cookery which I was good at. Dad went on the PTA and I was miffed as he found the old dragons nice women. The worse thing I did was running away when the heat was on. When the ear slapping teacher was bullying me aged about 10 or 11 I ran marked my own book as she picked on everything I did and she noticed it was not the same red ink as her pen, then I went home instead of going to football (as I was useless) as someone grassed me up. I had to stand with the baby class at the front for a week and when we sang hymns in turn I had to stand when my class stood up and sing except I was with all the 'babies.' When we were 11 we played off ground tig and hopping jinny and stag and such and they were all banned. Walk and talk were the playground rules. How were you supposed to let off steam? I am trying to look out my school photo. Do you have any or would that be another post?

 

[I Am Nico]

Here is my only class photo. There are 4 pupils missing off this and there were 3 other clases in the same year.
Having trouble attaching photo. I attach it I upload it but it doesn't show on here. Any ideas?

 

[mollie cross]

Oh yes, we had a couple of quite sadistic female teachers. One of them had a particularly nasty habit of walking up and down the aisles between the desks and hitting any miscreants on the back of the hand with the edge of a ruler. I was on the receiving end a couple of times, usually for talking.

 

[Anne Watton]

We had a blind music teacher, bless him. I sat on the front row and when he used to test us by playing the piano and asking us to write the notes he was playing, I used to stand up and tell the rest of the class what they were. Thought it was funny at the time. Full credit to him now I'm older and wiser. Anne

 

[I Am Nico]

We had a couple of English teachers who had strong foreign accents, one was a nice Caribbean lady the other was Nordic and stoney faced. They couldn't understand that our bad spelling was down to their poor pronunciation. e.g. theeere for there and alm for elm. One of my classmates was dislexic, she still can't spell now, but she was caned because the PE teacher (who made one girl sit under the piano in my earlier post) also disliked this girl. Jane came from a huge family and was very poor. She had a mass of blonde hair and at 8/9 and was caned with a ruler because she was unable to tie it back as she didn't have a rubber band. And we had no rules on hair or anything till we turned 11/12 in the Senior School. The PE teacher had an aversion to the poorest children.
The slapping teacher made us (supposedly) disruptive children sit at the back, I had to sit on my own. The class had to mark each others books and did 20 spellings a day and sums and dictation. So we at the back swapped with each other. Not getting too many right as not to cause suspicion. But not too many wrong as we had to do lines. If we got more than 5 answers wrong it was noted down and if we got repeatedly noted we were told we would be caned by the headmaster. So I swapped book marking with Jane and my 2 mates on the back row as were survivors and not snitches.

 

[wendylee]

I went to Briton Road School in Cov. We had several sadistic teachers. I used to rock on 2 legs of my chair at the back of the class. It slipped and cracked my head and saw stars, what brought mr round was the sight of one teacher’s boot trying to kick me as he went hysterical. My shcool mate said if he had kicked you one of us would have ran out and got help. My briefcase had saved me. Like other posters he split a lads nose with a board rubber. I got caned with a pump ofter for being the last to get canged at PE. I hated that sportsmanster and like Anne was not sorry when he died. He bullied me and others. One little lad was from up north and shpoke like thish and he bullied him for his accent. My form teacher the PE teacher caned you with tennis rackets, pumps, humiliated a little Irish girl, Pat, sayin she had the divill in her. Made her sit under the piano which was uncomfortable every lesson. Pat, under the pianio! she would bark. Pat did steal the teachers sixpense but like a lot of them she had nowt. I acually liked this teacher though as she was Ok with me.
Another sent me deaf for a few minutes with a ringing slap round the ears. She didn't believe me that I wasn't talking, till the teacher's pet stick up for me. I made a friend that day.
Was caned by a teacher who was in Love with the headmistress and they walked around arm in arm. Mrs Jones wore a rigid tweed suit had a red face and a moustache. She caned me for laughing, (I was always laughing, still am thank god) with the big board ruler. Was caned by “Ding Dong”, for being late. 1 thwack with the ruler. I felt he didn't want to but it was protocol that he had too, was caned with the ruler for laughing (again) by a female teacher who was allowed to can boys and girls but male teachers could not cane the girls???? Humiliated for no having the new uniform when the school changed, Parents couldn't afford it. Humiliated for having long hair. Got a slap for dissent (had to ask mum what that meant) for saying Jesus had long hair.
Brought out with the multitude to queue for the cane for having bright socks. They ran out of time and I escaped. One lad was humilated because he was effeminate. Mr Fawson used to shout eh Wendy where's yer handbag? The Geography teacher was strict. He had 2 canes with old fashioned women's names, they were split different ways as to cause pain and draw blood or blood blisters,. Three lds were made to stand stooped on chairs with their noses on a chalk line on the board, when the discomfort made them straighten up they got a twitch from one of the canes. We had some nice teachers too. Is there a post for them?

Oh my goodness Nico I am speechless....that is so sad , they would never get away with it today, all that caning ,belts with pumps, kicking and belts round the ears , even the treatment for the girl who had to sit under the piano !! As you say the humiliation of it, for trivial kids stuff and "just because I can " I mean someone is going to be last dressing for PE and punishing a child because of the way they talk..unbelievable.
I am so glad to hear you are still laughing Nico and I hope the kids you remember at school all went on to live happy lives .
Wendy

 

[Morturn]

Unfortunately, this was the norm in some schools. What should have been reasonable discipline evolved into a self-gratification regime of bullying and child abuse at some poorly managed schools.

I went to Slade Road Secondary School: it became Erdington Boys School. Teacher pupal abuse was rife there too, well out of control and far beyond reasonable chastisement.

 

[Smudger]

Unfortunately, this was the norm in some schools, what should have been reasonable discipline evolved into a self-gratification regime of bullying and child abuse at some poorly managed schools.

I went to Slade Road Secondary Schools, that became Erdington Boys School. Teacher pupal abuse was rife there too, well out of control and fare beyond reasonable chastisement.

Morturn, i too went to Slade road secondary, & in the seniors i never had any form of abuse or corporal punishment, but in the juniors i had the cane, one was a sadistic swine who would spin you round & knee you up the backside. One day in assembly a boy was singing out of tune & a member of staff jumped down from the stage, dragged the boy to the exit & threw him out. What a nice chap!!

 

[Bobg]

yes I did th teachers took great pleasure in giving it to you.

 

[Radiorails]

I never experienced abuse of any description when at school, however, some posts here do cause some thought of how times have changed. The courts we be full of cases involving 'cruelty' charges if they happened today.

 

[oldbrit]

Many times at Moseley School of Art!!

 

[jmadone]

At Grammar school I received corporal punishment several times, mainly for not doing homework, consistently not wearing school cap, talking in class and generally "messing about". It seemed that some masters used their subject as a basis for which weapon to use e.g. Physics used a rubber tube from a Bunsen Burner knotted at one end, Woodwork used a length of dowling. I have seen other instruments used i.e. a T-Square Technical drawing and sports department used anything to hand, cricket bats, cricket stumps, plimsolls and even a rope's end to encourage one young unfortunate to climb to the top of the rope in gym.

 

[Williamstreeter]

My claim to fame with corporal punishment leaving school at dinnertime , when I should be staying there for dinner
six on each hand for that courtesy of the headmaster
smoking in the toilet with some conferderates, six on each hand again. headmaster again
talking in the school library sideburns twisted that wrenched you of your chair some little fat nasty teacher
talking or somesuch in geography bend over and the side of a 12" rule taking slices out of your posterior some lean young man , the girls in our class looked on him as a bit of a pin up, I knew what the lads thought of him . All the teachers names are crystal clear in my head .
Ar junior school we had a female teacher that incessantly ground her teeth , step out of line and she wrapped you over the knuckles with a pencil . I bear no grudge though it taught me right from wrong and also respect for my elders . I don't think I'd change a thing to be honest

 

[I Am Nico]

With the canings etc It made me recall more of the names we called our teachers, that might be another post too and some are unprintable. I just remembered Miss Bancroft who wore 3 big mens' watches, she had a big bufon but she was a bit baldy too. She used to always pick on one little lad who was one of the first children to come from Nigeria. He was the only non white child in the class then. We had Rubberneck who was very fond of the cane if our sums didn't ad up and likewise Carter the F@rter. And Windscreen Wiper Tits. So called when she to run across the playground as our class was in the 'hut'. A prefab. Bag Jackson whom dad liked on the PTA. She taught us standing on a chair, she was short, with a giant protractor held against the roll over floppy blackboad a bit like a giant roller towel, and it broke, the protractor. And I roared and out I went.
Wooden Tits sat on a chair with a broken leg and went @rse over tip and I don't know how I held that it, it was painful. She always picked on a girl who was poor for wearing forbidden stack heels, the head girl wore them but she wouldn't listen. Humiliated Gloria in the end of term inter House quiz in front of the whole school picked to represent the 'thick' class. Because Gloria represented her house. We were streamed in to 4 classes each year supposedly as assorted in intelligence as possible for 3 classes with the mega thick all in together.
The teacher who used to give me a lift, made the children not taking exams sit in the corner and read. she would say right then Thickies in the corner.

Mr MaGoo the caretaker. Nice little man.
Mr Wakelin you might guess that one.
Fishy Gill. He was nice.
Fishy Eales was not so nice.
Parrot Face. She squawked.
Lady Legs, unmanly sportsmaster.
I think they did turn out well Wendy. Most of them. Jane who left being unable to read and write, is happy I hear she has 8 children.

 

[Grea]

I had the cane a few times, but the corporal punishment I remember most was from a brilliant teacher and a true gent. If you misbehaved he would call you out to be hit on the backside with the sole of a pump ( the top had been cut off ). Before he started he would say “stop me when you have had enough” he would then start to tap you and tap you until it started to sting. You couldn’t say stop and embarrass yourself in front of the class so you endured the pain. He was clever enough to see when you had enough and so it was he who stopped. Great bloke.

 

[adap2it]

I got caned at Moseley School of Art. For extra special infractions, you would get caned in front of the whole school at assembly. It was a mixed school and the girls were SEATED at the front and the boys STOOD at the back. It was more like a public execution...There were several of us lined up for the big event. I wasn't a model student and got wacked a few times in the beaks office too.
Dave A

 

[oldbrit]

I got caned at Moseley School of Art. For extra special infractions, you would get caned in front of the whole school at assembly. It was a mixed school and the girls were SEATED at the front and the boys STOOD at the back. It was more like a public execution...There were several of us lined up for the big event. I wasn't a model student and got wacked a few times in the beaks office too.
Dave A

Dave me to in the late 1940s at MSA In the class in the back of the school Teacher was a big man can not remember his name

 

[adap2it]

Dave me to in the late 1940s at MSA In the class in the back of the school Teacher was a big man can not remember his name

I was there 53-56 I don't recall a real big man. You were there before me, so he may not have been there during my years. I only got the cane from the headmaster who was a far from big. I did get a rabbit punch from another teacher, however, we have since made up.
Dave A

 

[maypolebaz]

There was so much corporal punishment at Wheelers Lane school in the 50s that it was promoted to sergeant !

 

[oldbrit]

I was there 53-56 I don't recall a real big man. You were there before me, so he may not have been there during my years. I only got the cane from the headmaster Harry Adams, who was a far from big. I did get a rabbit punch from Mr Taylor, however, we have since made up.
Dave A

Of course Dave I am only now 5'5" so Big to me is different. Seems like, maybe a Mr Humphries? By the way did you go into Art as a profession? I gave up, after my two years in the RAF went into music, that is why I am in the USA then gave up on that, Jack of all trades, master of none I guess

 

[adap2it]

Of course Dave I am only now 5'5" so Big to me is different. Seems like, maybe a Mr Humphries? By the way did you go into Art as a profession? I gave up, after my two years in the RAF went into music, that is why I am in the USA then gave up on that, Jack of all trades, master of none I guess

We'll probably be turfed for being off topic here...I spent my first 6 weeks after leaving school in the art world at Warner Advertising on Coleshill St, after that my family moved to London, but thats another story...
Dave A

 

[nutter]

Yep I did, I lived in clifton road, there was a high wall, that blocked our yard off from Upper Thomas Street School, when late I would scale the wall and drop, into the playground, I got caught many times and received the cane for my efforts, I was often told of the dangers of climbing, I later became a moutaineering instructor lol.
nutter