Going to school in the 1960's........
Discussion
Was thinking the other day about my schooldays in the mid/late 1960's at my secondary modern school just outside Manchester and how it probably contrasts with school life today....
If you were talking at the back of the class the teacher would throw a heavy wooden blackboard eraser at you, they were usually expert shots, and nine times out of ten, it would hit you full on the forehead......
Then, if you (heaven forbid) forgot your homework, you would get six strokes of the cane, three on each outstretched hands, which would usually result in large wheals on your hands or sometimes, in extreme cases, blood would be drawn.
Then, when you told your dad he would say "Serves you right"......
This was quite normal back then.
Nowadays, the teacher would be in prison.
But the school rice puddin' was good.
If you were talking at the back of the class the teacher would throw a heavy wooden blackboard eraser at you, they were usually expert shots, and nine times out of ten, it would hit you full on the forehead......
Then, if you (heaven forbid) forgot your homework, you would get six strokes of the cane, three on each outstretched hands, which would usually result in large wheals on your hands or sometimes, in extreme cases, blood would be drawn.
Then, when you told your dad he would say "Serves you right"......
This was quite normal back then.
Nowadays, the teacher would be in prison.
But the school rice puddin' was good.
JagerT said:
The semolina gross though 
Memories of leaving glob of red sugary jam stuff until the end though.Can't think how being beaten with the cane would be looked at these days.
Oh...the 3 day week provided a modicum of excitement though , although that was early 70's
Edited by E31Shrew on Saturday 11th March 20:56
IME, this stuff went on into the '70s. A classmate was pole axed with a flying board rubber in '71...he was out cold for several minutes.
There'd be mass bleating now about a couple of events in my physics classes. How about 'sir' taking the air from the Magdeburg hemispheres, putting half the class to pull on each half then opening the air tap? Or sir making the whole class stand around the edge of the lab and hold hands? Embarrassing at best. But putting a hand-cranked magneto in circuit sorted the men from the boys. At least we all remembered the lessons.
There'd be mass bleating now about a couple of events in my physics classes. How about 'sir' taking the air from the Magdeburg hemispheres, putting half the class to pull on each half then opening the air tap? Or sir making the whole class stand around the edge of the lab and hold hands? Embarrassing at best. But putting a hand-cranked magneto in circuit sorted the men from the boys. At least we all remembered the lessons.
We had a maths master in our grammar, ex Guardsman 6ft 6 tall, and though we were rapid stream, GCEs in 4 years instead of 5, there was one lad who couldn't hack the maths. Christ he tried, and rest of us helped where we could, but Forbes Doig picked on this poor sod terribly. Not many lessons went by where he didn't get a slippering, simply for being crap at maths. Doig used to hit him so hard that the downswing lifted him, Doig, off his feet.
Then we had a Latin master, who would think nothing of throwing a desk across the classroom, and boy was I crap at Latin.
In later years I wondered if the fact that these guys must have fought through WW2 made them so prone to dishing out violence to ungrateful kids.
Nowadays you can't even shout at the kids.
Then we had a Latin master, who would think nothing of throwing a desk across the classroom, and boy was I crap at Latin.
In later years I wondered if the fact that these guys must have fought through WW2 made them so prone to dishing out violence to ungrateful kids.
Nowadays you can't even shout at the kids.
Wacky Racer said:
This was quite normal back then.
Hmmm...I was in school in Liverpool in the 60's and it wasn't normal there. One of the PE teachers did slipper lads for "forgetting" their PE kit but even that was only a token gesture.I do remember some lads being caned in primary school and there was uproar about it from parents.
Wacky Racer said:
If you were talking at the back of the class the teacher would throw a heavy wooden blackboard eraser at you, they were usually expert shots, and nine times out of ten, it would hit you full on the forehead......
School history teacher also coached the school cricket XI. He knew exactly by how much the board rubber would miss you. 
And the chocolate concrete.About 600 boys at my school in the 60's and we only had one lad with asthma. Allergies were unknown. His name, I recall, was Luker, nickname Filthy. Every time we had a fire drill they would give his family prior warning, I suppose in case he got worked up and had a fit. Of course, the rest of the school would also know about it at nine in the morning because he used to turn up in a WW2 tin helmet with ARP painted on the front.
There were the blackboard rubber and chalk dead shots of course among the teachers. We also knew exactly which ones never to be trapped in a classroom on your own with. All taken for normal.
We got our own back on a particularly vindictive head master when a couple of lads got on the roof one night and painted 'HM PRISON' in six foot high white letters on the slate roof. Got on the TV news that one did.
There were the blackboard rubber and chalk dead shots of course among the teachers. We also knew exactly which ones never to be trapped in a classroom on your own with. All taken for normal.
We got our own back on a particularly vindictive head master when a couple of lads got on the roof one night and painted 'HM PRISON' in six foot high white letters on the slate roof. Got on the TV news that one did.
Remember th ethrowing if wooden blocks by an irate woodwork teacher, whilst at the same time the girls were separated for cooker lessons.
There was s French teacher who used to make a beeline for many if the boys, often sitting on their knees during a lesson and pushing chalk in their mouth ths if they didn't get their translation right. Nowadays he'd be in prison......
There was s French teacher who used to make a beeline for many if the boys, often sitting on their knees during a lesson and pushing chalk in their mouth ths if they didn't get their translation right. Nowadays he'd be in prison......
I got rapped across the knuckles rather hard with a wooden ruler in my prep school when I was 12, that was 1994. Around the same time one teacher threw a board wiper (wood and felt block) at one lad who wasn't paying attention. The highlight was a supply teacher who caught us getting cricket scores lowered from other pupils via an upper window in the middle of a lesson. He pretty much had a breakdown in front of us all and decided to teach the wall instead for the rest of the lesson. Good times.
My dad who was at school in the 60's tells me that he and his friends were punished if they didn't smoke! Some kind of Naval School so it wouldn't surprise me.
My dad who was at school in the 60's tells me that he and his friends were punished if they didn't smoke! Some kind of Naval School so it wouldn't surprise me.
227bhp said:
That's because they didn't know what it was back then, luckily now we can differentiate and not treat people who have special needs simply as thick, naughty or lazy and they get a better chance at life.
I agree for the most part, and my younger brother who is severely dyslexic would have definitely suffered without modern day progress. My sister who is only slightly younger than me had real issues with dyspraxia and games teachers effectively bullying her because she was no good at sports. I fear it has gone a bit far though, recently nursery staff have pointed out to my brother that his 2 year old son may be autistic, we run the risk of giving kids a label to early on sometimes IMHO. Secondary school late sixties/early seventies.
Games teacher who used the sole of a plimsoll on your backside or would stand you against the wall in the gym and kick a football towards you at full tilt so that it just missed you. If you flinched he would do it again, but closer.
Deputy Head good shot with chalk or board rubber, but had some great stories.
Headmaster used the cane like a master (excuse the pun).
A wooden ruler came in handy too, across the palm of the hand.
I can't say it did me any great harm and we all generally did as we were told.
There seems to be little a teacher can do with an unruly pupil these days.
Games teacher who used the sole of a plimsoll on your backside or would stand you against the wall in the gym and kick a football towards you at full tilt so that it just missed you. If you flinched he would do it again, but closer.
Deputy Head good shot with chalk or board rubber, but had some great stories.
Headmaster used the cane like a master (excuse the pun).
A wooden ruler came in handy too, across the palm of the hand.
I can't say it did me any great harm and we all generally did as we were told.
There seems to be little a teacher can do with an unruly pupil these days.
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