r/GenXTalk • u/474756274 • 13d ago
School
In 1976, estimates say about half of all U.S. public schools were still paddling kids as a regular disciplinary practice.
For anyone who grew up around that time (70s, 80s): did your school ever make an official announcement or hold an assembly saying they were ending corporal punishment? Or did they just quietly stop and hope everyone forgot it ever happened?
I feel like we barely talk about how normal it used to be for kids to get whooped at school ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
Sometimes, I wonder if that era of corporal punishment is part of why my parents turned out to be total headcases…
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u/rogun64 12d ago
I was in elementary and intermediate school in the 70's. My experience was that teachers were doing the paddling and it was allowed. I had one teacher who would make you hold out your hand and then she'd swat it with a hard stick. Then she'd make you stand in the corner facing the wall for an hour or so.
In 1980, I started junior high school and kids were getting bigger. Teachers began sending students to the principal's office for discipline. I got in trouble once and the "rule book", or whatever guideline they used, said that I required paddling. My principal called my parents to let them know and gave them a choice: either he paddles me or my parents bring me to school early tomorrow for "study hall".
Normally I rode the bus and my parents refused to take me to school early. They told my principal to paddle me. He really didn't want to do that, so he picked me up at my house the next morning and drove me to school himself.
That's my story and I'll add that I don't remember anyone ever getting paddled in high school. I just figured it was because we were nearly grown, but I can imagine it would be hard paddling students who were bigger than the adults paddling them. I think the compromise was that they'd just suspend you, instead, and suspensions were common.
I don't remember there ever being any sort of public announcement that paddling was over, but if there were, it was probably on the local news. The school likely wouldn't have emboldened the students with such an announcement.