I went to school from 1981 to 1994. Acceptable classroom decorum for teachers at that time was much different than today. Along with yelling and screaming at us, back then some teachers would still put their hands on kids for acting up.
We had a few male teachers who were infamous for pulling hair; among them, a gym coach whose signature move was winging his big rack of keys at boys who were goofing off. Athough it was a public school, we also had a couple mean old nuns, one who wacked naughty little kids on the hands with a measuring stick, and another who made kids sit under her desk as a punishment.
I’m not sure when physical discipline was legislated against as an acceptable form of classroom punishment, but I do know it was already illegal then. We actually had a couple incidents of teachers punching teenage boys in the face. There was never an arrest, and the teachers didn’t even seem to get in any trouble with the school for doing it.
Even janitors were allowed to get after us. And some of them could be very intimidating considering no other grown-ups appeared to be moderating. When I was in like 4th grade there was a janitor who took it upon himself to “straighten out” the elementary lunchroom. The nerve of us little bastards to enjoy ourselves while he was working…
Because the same room doubled as cafeteria and theater the tables faced a stage. This janitor would stand on the stage demanding our silence and attention. Screaming at the top of his lungs he would tell us how he expected us to behave during lunch. The entire elementary school faculty, including the principal, allowed this craziness to go on and seemingly approved.
One of my female elementary teachers administered a punishment called jail. When incarcerated the little convict’s desk would be isolated from the rest of the class for the day, but kept where everyone could gawk. One kid who was constantly being sentenced to jail was told in front of the entire class to get used to it because it will be his future. It was more than obvious to me even at 10 that the kid was neglected and abused at home. He usually came to school dirty. For that she berated him in front of the entire class.
Most teachers and faculty did not treat kids that way. But they never confronted those who did either.
As class clown I would sometimes spend entire days standing in front of the class with my nose in the corner, or writing I will not disrupt class 1000 times. I was always getting into trouble. They said I was looking for attention. Go figure. Many of us kids who acted up got too much of the wrong kind of attention at home. Then off to school to deal with the bullies and teachers.
Thanks for Reading
Leave a Reply