I was bullied by a couple of boys in middle school, but it became serious and unbearable in high school. None of these boys were related to each other or “hung out” together.
That boy, which lead to my near-strapping, had never bothered me before, and had never bothered me since. I think he simply decided to pick on me because I was an “easy target”, people generally knew I wouldn’t fight back … which probably took him off-guard when I tried to brain him with my thermos.
There was one in particular who would body check me to the hallway floor from behind, and when my school work went sliding down the hall, he kicked my binders around until all the sheets came flying out and many school notes were lost or destroyed. He often took my possessions and destroyed them for fun.
I hated high school – it was the worst time of my life. I lived in constant fear of being assaulting by this moron. I was afraid to tell anyone as I had no confidence that I would be protected by the school and thought that it might make the retribution from the bully even worse. I stopped taking the bus and rode in with a neighbour who happened to work close to the school, and as soon as I got a driver’s licence, bought a used car and drove. That kept me safe, but by then the tormentors had either dropped out or were thrown out of the school anyway. One of them became a junior hockey coach and I believe was recently charged for sexually assaulting boys in the change rooms back in the 1990’s.
You raise an interesting point about recorded punishments for bullying. So – if I was indeed strapped for it, it would have been witnessed and recorded, as that was written policy. Since I was let go, there was nothing to record. Did I not reoffend because I got a warning? NO, because I was not the bully in the first place, I just decided to defend myself on this occasion.
This lends to my last book … because I can only look at effectiveness by recidivism, and that can only be accomplished if two things happen: 1) the person is caught, and 2) they are punished and recorded. We cannot know if and how behaviours change if those conditions aren’t there.
But! Not to worry as meaningful answers are still empirically obtained and I will explain why using the “seat belt saves lives” example: There are those who are ideologically opposed to wearing car seat belts, and in support of their position, they claim that people have been seriously injured or even killed by them. Yes that’s true but it’s one-sided: empirically we know your chances of injury or death are heightened by not wearing vs. wearing them.
Now consider this. All empirical data proving that seat belts save lives only comes from people who were actually in an accident. Did you wear one or not? and what was the result? We do not know and it is irrelevant to the conclusion whether you never wore a seat belt in your life until today when the accident occurred, or you always wore one but not today, when the accident occurred.
This corresponds to “people getting away with it” or behaviours being undetected, unpunished, etc… IMHO, we can only look at what happens IF a consequence occurred and recorded and what was the observation based on that incident.
QuoteLikeShare
Jul 24, 2014#89
The maximum number of strokes of the cane a school pupil could receive was six strokes. In my school day it was known as ‘six of the best’. I was wondering how many of you actually received the full six and how it was given (all on the bottom, all six on one hand, three on each hand etc.); who administered the punishment? and other information?
Part 2….
You asked if I knew that they bullied others? In all cases except one I’ll tell you next, no, I was not aware if that occurred.
In the recount I gave about a school trip to a camp while in middle school … (sorry, I can’t locate the post). There was a smaller and meeker boy than myself, and I happened to walk past the scene where two boys had his pants down and were sexually assaulting him, or perhaps even raping him, I don’t know and didn’t know of such things at that age.
They confronted me and told me if I ever told anyone what I saw, they would beat me every single day. I was bullied at times by one of these two prior to this, but come to think of it, they left me alone from that point on. I never told anyone because I was too afraid, and am still ashamed of my cowardice because those boys should have been minimally strapped (they still did this in middle school) expelled and referred to the police for charges. If for no other reason, than to protect the boy they were sexually assaulting (and perhaps me too!).
I know one of the sexual assaulter’s full name (and the victim’s full name as well) and have considered that there is no statute of limitations on serious crimes like this in my country. But without being able to locate the victim, my attempt to bring justice after all these years would likely not amount to much an it’s further complicated that the attackers were “young offenders” at the time, and not adults. So it’s likely academic as they say…
QuoteLikeShare
Another_Lurker
10K
256
Jul 25, 2014#90
The maximum number of strokes of the cane a school pupil could receive was six strokes. In my school day it was known as ‘six of the best’. I was wondering how many of you actually received the full six and how it was given (all on the bottom, all six on one hand, three on each hand etc.); who administered the punishment? and other information?
<div style=”width:100%;background-image:url(“/realm/A_L_123/A_L_trg.gif”);”>Hello HH,
You said above:
Fascinating stuff! I remember the post concerned well and I couldn’t locate it either. At least, not until I searched for it by my own somewhat unorthodox means rather than trying to locate it via Google. It is possible that it might have been locatable via the Forum Search Engine, but as this throws up so many spurious hits if a search string is used I seldom if ever use it.
I was confident that in your contribution you had used the term ‘statute of limitations’, just as you have in your above post, and indeed you had. But Google this Forum for it using that term and you won’t find it. Nor, as far as I can see, will you find some other posts in the thread using terms specific to them. You will however find the thread if you Google that by name with reference to this Forum. In essence, although Google knows about the thread, it doesn’t want to give links to individual posts therein. Both google.com and google.co.uk seem to be affected. I’ll come to possible reasons for this later.
Your contribution is to be found here, in the ‘Why spanking gotta go. My reasons.’ thread.
Why Google’s reluctance to disclose the post, and indeed other posts in the thread? Well it could just be a software glitch. However when I search certain patterns in Google relative to the thread I receive the notice which indicates that applications for link removal may have been made under the recent Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) decision on the right to be forgotten.
This is the second time I have seen this when placing Google searches which should have found items in this Forum. The problem is likely to increase, both for this Forum, and, more significantly, for the wider web, and in my opinion is likely to gradually render Google (and presumably other search engines) useless. We shall then be back to the bad old days when the only way you found anything on the web was by following links from web pages themselves!</div>
QuoteLikeShare
HH2012
836
Jul 25, 2014#91
The maximum number of strokes of the cane a school pupil could receive was six strokes. In my school day it was known as ‘six of the best’. I was wondering how many of you actually received the full six and how it was given (all on the bottom, all six on one hand, three on each hand etc.); who administered the punishment? and other information?
Hi AL, and thanks very much for locating my post, as it gives much more insight into the bullying I experienced. You are a life saver here as always!
Yes indeed, if I could turn back time, I would have done things differently, but it was another time, another place, another planet.
I should add that I have been using the techniques that you and American Way (I think) long ago shared to find certain posts via Google. There were other posts which I knew exactly what the sting of words were, yet I could no longer locate. I was under the impression that, due to more recent developments, perhaps management deleted some posts or even entire threads for that matter?
QuoteLikeShare
Jul 25, 2014#92
The maximum number of strokes of the cane a school pupil could receive was six strokes. In my school day it was known as ‘six of the best’. I was wondering how many of you actually received the full six and how it was given (all on the bottom, all six on one hand, three on each hand etc.); who administered the punishment? and other information?
Oh, you jogged my memory of something I wanted to say that may cast some light on WHY I did not fight back and allowed myself, be default, to become a target.
I grew up in a very Christian home, and took the “indoctrinations” very much to heart. One of them, which my dad being a pacifist often promoted, was non-violence. that we “turn the other cheek” as Jesus as taught us. I obviously got the wrong message here. In the real world, the philosophy is to NOT intentionally harm others; what I got wrong was that it is completely OK to defend oneself and further, it is sometimes necessary to WHACK someone really hard when all else fails (Although I don’t think Jesus ever said that). I should have adopted the “you’ve been warned but if you continue, I am going to break you face” approach rather than the “ignore it and it will go away” approach. That NEVER works with a bully and only intensified my abuse at the hands of this ilk.
No offence please to anyone reading, but I no longer adhere to Christian dogma, nor any other man-made religion. It is my personal opinion that these in sum total have heaped more misery, torment and injustice on humanity than anything else one can think of. Examples: Crusades, Papal-sanctioned exterminations (Cathars a good example), Inquisitions, Witch Hunts, the Holocaust, celibacy & child molestations, etc… (and that’s just ONE religion!)
I have often opined that the definition of child abuse continues to expand and evolve. Should it be legal to indoctrinate anyone under 18 with any of these man-made contrivances? Or is it a form of psychological abuse? I truly believe it was in my case but I do not blame my parents one iota because I know they actually believe this and were convinced they were doing right by their children. Any opinions on this diversion???
QuoteLikeShare
Another_Lurker
10K
256
Jul 25, 2014#93
The maximum number of strokes of the cane a school pupil could receive was six strokes. In my school day it was known as ‘six of the best’. I was wondering how many of you actually received the full six and how it was given (all on the bottom, all six on one hand, three on each hand etc.); who administered the punishment? and other information?
QuoteLikeShare
Guest
Jul 25, 2014#94
The maximum number of strokes of the cane a school pupil could receive was six strokes. In my school day it was known as ‘six of the best’. I was wondering how many of you actually received the full six and how it was given (all on the bottom, all six on one hand, three on each hand etc.); who administered the punishment? and other information?
Thank you all for you comments I very much appreciate them. It is was not easy to put something so personal into words so I am grateful to know that it appears I have managed to get my experience across OK.
There are a number of points I would like to make but as Alan Turing has asked a couple of questions I will respond to those first.
In fact it seems to me that a caning was probably the correct punishment for the actual (rather than the alleged) offence. If a school used corporal punishment at all, then I’d expect it to be used for a violent assault, particularly for a first offence of that kind. From the wording JD19 uses,
For the record my only major problem with SCP and where my interest lies, is the use of it for academic purposes
she may well agree; again, I’ll be corrected if I’m mistaken.
I did punched Amy with some force, had I been told no matter what the provocation my level of violence was unacceptable so I was going to get a caning I would have accepted that it would have made sense in my world. I had done wrong and I had been brought up take responsibility for wrong doing and accept the consequences. I was told I was getting six strokes of the cane for bullying, I did not deserve that, I had bullied no one. It was no longer about something I had done it was no about something I hadn`t, that did not make sense in my world. I then had to deal with the shame and confusion of being caned for something I did not do and especially for an offence I felt so strongly about, for me to be caned for bullying is like a teetotaller getting charged with drunk driving!
I am not certain I would have been given six of the best for the violence alone. I know of two cases where the sort of violence I used resulted in one pupil getting two strokes, the other much to his surprise no punishment at all.
I suspect (and I’d expect to be corrected if I’m mistaken about this) that jd19 would have felt the same justified resentment if she’d been given the same verbal abuse about bullying, but had been expelled rather than caned. Or, indeed, if she hadn’t been given a “punishment” at all, but had been verbally humiliated in the way she describes.
Certainly a lot of the damage was done by them believing I was a bully and the Acting Head calling me scum, I totally broke down in that office when he called me that and I am certain I would have gone through a lot of anguish even had I not been caned. However the head of girls putting the cane across me after I had been told I was a nasty violent bully and scum to boot really reinforced the message and the two are so entwined I can not say if the effects would have been the same if I had not been caned. I am afraid I can only say how I felt after the event as it happened I cannot say how I may have felt had it ended differently, well not with enough certainty to declare you correct or mistaken!
I do have a couple of questions for her, though. The first is about the fact that she thought it worthwhile to write her post: did she intend, when first posting on this Forum, to write about this incident eventually, or is this something which has developed as she’s seen the nature of the discussion here? I know that, when I first started posting here many years ago, I had something on my mind, and — having got it off my chest — I don’t feel such a need to mention it any more.
Well I certainly had no intention of writing about this incident for a lot of reasons. I did however write about it in the third person in response to a post about how schools don`t always get it right when dealing with bullying. As one would expect from someone who has experienced SCP when posting on a SCP forum my experience does get mentioned occasionally on various posts I make. I have been asked for details hence making the post so I suppose it has come about due to discussion on here. Not sure whether I considered it worthwhile or not, from the point of view of trying to explain why I was not happy just to list the modus operandi then I hope readers who are interested can understand my feelings on that.
Yes the school was co-ed.
QuoteLikeShare
Guest
Jul 25, 2014#95
The maximum number of strokes of the cane a school pupil could receive was six strokes. In my school day it was known as ‘six of the best’. I was wondering how many of you actually received the full six and how it was given (all on the bottom, all six on one hand, three on each hand etc.); who administered the punishment? and other information?
Oliver Sydney The point you make about my parents getting involved had I been expelled is something I was going to address in response to the comment A_L made in regarding my annual report
The sole redeeming feature seems to be that on the subsequent annual report the Head of Girls described the actual situation regarding your performance at the school and made no mention of the alleged bullying.
But was that a redeeming feature?
I was very relieved to find there was no mention of any trouble or punishment because I really did not want parents to know but I think she may have actually done me another disservice in not mentioning it!
Had I been expelled my parents would have had to know what had happened, likewise had she mention on my report I`d had a recent disciplinary problem my parents would have wanted to know what I had been up to!
I didn`t tell my parents what had happened, I knew they would not have punished me again, although I was not going to chance it, but I thought they would take the schools side. They had told me nobody ever got caned unless it was deserved, if I had told them I worried they would tell me I deserved it, it was bad enough the school thinking I was a bully without my parents telling me I must be to have got caned as one!
Of course that is what I thought as a young teenager, the reality would have been different my parents would not have dismissed my protests of innocence as quickly as the school and they would have listened to me in fact they would have insisted on knowing what I had to say for myself!
A couple of years later I was in trouble, serious trouble, my mother contacted my friends in order to try to get more information she didn`t just act on what she had been told or even because she had the evidence, she did really did try and make sure she had the facts before deciding what to do with me. I have no reason to believe, had I come home with an end of year report stating I had been in some sort of trouble, my parents would not have tried to find out the facts. But of course I didn`t think like that at the time all I wanted was for them never to find out.
I really can`t blame the Head of Girls for my not confiding in my family that was all down to me and my fears, but had she put what she must have considered to be the truth about me on my report she would probably have done me a favour. It would not have changed what had happened of course and I am not sure how my parents would have felt about taking on the school they, or at least my mother, were in awe of teachers, but they may have been off to have a word or two with Amy`s parents at the very least.
I cannot imagine she had simply forgotten she had given me a caning certainly not a six of the best anyway, I am sure they were not common place. I have a feeling when the reports were passed on for signing she simply flicked through saw there was no problems and made some sort of generic remark about doing well, keep up good work pleasant member of school etc on each one. . I bet she hardly even looked at the name on the front of the report!
I really disliked both the deputy and head of girls. I was glad neither of them got promoted when the Head finally resigned. I am a` these things happen` kind of person but I could not forgive them for the way they dealt with me. He passed away some time ago and is the only of the member of staff from either of my two schools (and I didn`t have a whole lot of love for a couple at primary school) that I do not have a single fond memory of! I can at least say about her although I disliked her she was apparently very supportive to a friend of mine when she ended up pregnant at 13!!
QuoteLikeShare
Oliver_Sydney
899
48
Jul 26, 2014#96
The maximum number of strokes of the cane a school pupil could receive was six strokes. In my school day it was known as ‘six of the best’. I was wondering how many of you actually received the full six and how it was given (all on the bottom, all six on one hand, three on each hand etc.); who administered the punishment? and other information?
Hi HH
Thank you very much for answering my questions. I had forgotten but I had previously read the link so efficiently found by A_L. Your story is horrifying and it is just one of a number of similar ones that led to my perhaps “over the top” comment here. It is unimaginable to me that someone could go to school each day in fear. As an uncle I am paranoic about bullying. Whenever I sense unhappiness at school I try every way to find out the cause – occasionally children will tell me something they would not tell their parents.
I remember the fat boy at our school who was bullied by the PE teacher and some of the pupils. I knew very well this was wrong and tried to show some friendship to him. However I suspect he guessed I was driven by sympathy and he was hostile. I feel guilty that I did not persist. To report such bullying would have been inconceivable at that time, and it is probably not much better now despite the greatly increased awareness.
I have a lot of sympathy with your views on religion. However I would say there are some wonderful people who do excellent things in the name of religion. There are also people who do very evil things in the name of almost every religion. There are also those who are obsessed with controlling the lives of everybody else. In NSW we have compulsory religious instruction in state schools. Parents may exempt their children, but if so the legislation states that they are not allowed to be taught anything so must sit in a classroom and read.
QuoteLikeShare
Jul 26, 2014#97
The maximum number of strokes of the cane a school pupil could receive was six strokes. In my school day it was known as ‘six of the best’. I was wondering how many of you actually received the full six and how it was given (all on the bottom, all six on one hand, three on each hand etc.); who administered the punishment? and other information?
Hi JD19
Thank you very much for your further answers and comments. The personal abuse directed at you by the Deputy was absolutely sickening. Possibly terms like ‘scum’ reflected what was said in staffrooms and maybe elsewhere, but they are totally unacceptable when directed at children in any time or place.
The “housing settlements”, such as the one where I lived in the early 1960s, were described as follows in the NSW Parliament: “These specially built slums …. are breeding grounds of disease, unhappiness, social misfits and communism, in which human beings degenerate and become frustrated and bereft of all hope, initiative and ambition.” The government had to set up a separate primary school for our settlement as unsurprisingly the local residents did not want their children to be contaminated by us. I was lucky as we had some very dedicated and capable teachers. Although there were some rough kids, and I did get into the occasional fight, I remember it very positively.
I understand how you felt about telling your parents. What I find most difficult to fathom is the behaviour of Amy. I think your rationalisation is probably correct in that she made up a story and then felt she had to keep embellishing it. The bullying about where you lived is totally inexplicable to me. Is it possible that classmates from well-to-do parts had attacked her for her friendship with you and she was trying to prove something to them ?
QuoteLikeShare
hcsj44
1,211
Jul 26, 2014#98
The maximum number of strokes of the cane a school pupil could receive was six strokes. In my school day it was known as ‘six of the best’. I was wondering how many of you actually received the full six and how it was given (all on the bottom, all six on one hand, three on each hand etc.); who administered the punishment? and other information?
Oliver Sydney wrote:
The bullying about where you lived is totally inexplicable to me. Is it possible that classmates from well-to-do parts had attacked her for her friendship with you and she was trying to prove something to them ?
I doubt it was anything to do with classmates. I don’t think you need look any further than Amy’s mother. A social climber, she wanted Amy to be more than just a daughter; instead, a “best friend” that she could show off in her social circle. She didn’t want Amy to come under any influences that might spoil her plan. The seeds of criticism would have been sown at every opportunity – at mealtimes, when buying new clothes and on family outings. If you do this with an impressionable teenager, it soon takes root.
I believe there is great danger when parents think they “own” their children, as they do with a car or dog. Parents are not there to mould children into their own ideal image, dictate what party they will vote for or arrange whom they should marry. They are merely charged by society to ensure the children are safely housed and nourished until they can fend for themselves. They are required to ensure they attend school and intervene if they step out of line. In return, the children should honour and respect their parents but retain the right to become independent.
QuoteLikeShare
HH2012
836
Jul 27, 2014#99
The maximum number of strokes of the cane a school pupil could receive was six strokes. In my school day it was known as ‘six of the best’. I was wondering how many of you actually received the full six and how it was given (all on the bottom, all six on one hand, three on each hand etc.); who administered the punishment? and other information?
Hi Oliver Sydney
I take to heart today your comment “It is unimaginable to me that someone could go to school each day in fear” and this explains in part, rightly or wrongly, why I am a “helicopter dad”. …so much so, that I need to be on my son’s school parent council and wiggle my way into any other positions and advisory panels a non-employee can hold on a school board. It’s simply that I need to know WHAT goes on, the rules of engagement, and I also need all the powers to be fully aware that I am a force to be reckoned with if my son (or anyone else for that matter) experiences these things.
Some may say “well wait a minute HH, what if your boy is the bully?”. I have no worries there, it’s been thoroughly discussed with my son and he’s completely aware and agreed if he instigates a violent act at school, and especially if it draws a suspension, he should fully expect a particular negative and unpleasant consequence. It is accepted and expected – forewarned is foretold. Think what you like, but I have found that deterrence value tremendously effective, at least in my individual case.
On another point you made “Parents are not there to mould children into their own ideal image, dictate what party they will vote for or arrange whom they should marry. They are merely charged by society to ensure the children are safely housed and nourished until they can fend for themselves. They are required to ensure they attend school and intervene if they step out of line. In return, the children should honour and respect their parents but retain the right to become independent.” To my mind, I don’t think I’ve ever heard this written better or more succinctly than you did. I fully agree here.
EXCEPT! herein lays the rub… parent’s are also charged with producing functional, productive and well-balanced future contributors to society that conform to socially-acceptable norms. That’s the basis of all the arguments and contentions that exist including the very existence of this forum! …because what works well for one is anywhere from useless to harmful for another. Indoctrinations benefit many, yet harms others, differing parenting styles and punishment deployment options for that matter, work well for many and not for others. Now we see the tangled web for what it is!
QuoteLikeShare
Jul 27, 2014#100
The maximum number of strokes of the cane a school pupil could receive was six strokes. In my school day it was known as ‘six of the best’. I was wondering how many of you actually received the full six and how it was given (all on the bottom, all six on one hand, three on each hand etc.); who administered the punishment? and other information?
Apologies to hcj …you’ll notice that’s been a trend here
The second comment about “parent owning their children, etc.” are actually yours and I inadvertently omitted to credit that in my reply above. Again, I believe that is right on the mark, along with my expansions on that theme.
QuoteLikeShare
larry1951
2,292
79
Aug 03, 2014#101
The maximum number of strokes of the cane a school pupil could receive was six strokes. In my school day it was known as ‘six of the best’. I was wondering how many of you actually received the full six and how it was given (all on the bottom, all six on one hand, three on each hand etc.); who administered the punishment? and other information?
Several questions for jd 19 concerning her post of July 22 have been sent in. The majority are not suitable for publication on this Forum, but here are three to which jd 19 may feel able to respond.
A reader in the Ireland asks:
“Was it usual for girls to be caned on the bottom and not the hand at your school? Did the teacher tell you that it was going to be on the bottom?”
A reader in the United States asks:
“Was your punishment witnessed by another member of staff?”
QuoteLikeShare
Guest
Aug 07, 2014#102
The maximum number of strokes of the cane a school pupil could receive was six strokes. In my school day it was known as ‘six of the best’. I was wondering how many of you actually received the full six and how it was given (all on the bottom, all six on one hand, three on each hand etc.); who administered the punishment? and other information?
Hallo Oliver Sydney
The “housing settlements”, such as the one where I lived in the early 1960s, were described as follows in the NSW Parliament: “These specially built slums …. are breeding grounds of disease, unhappiness, social misfits and communism, in which human beings degenerate and become frustrated and bereft of all hope, initiative and ambition.” The government had to set up a separate primary school for our settlement as unsurprisingly the local residents did not want their children to be contaminated by us. I was lucky as we had some very dedicated and capable teachers. Although there were some rough kids, and I did get into the occasional fight, I remember it very positively
Goodness!! At least I have never had to read anything awful about where I grew-up! This is a fairly affluent area the estate does stand out. If any local had been in trouble you could pretty much guarantee they lived on that estate. It is a lot quieter nowadays although still considered rough. My In-laws nearly had an heart attack when their son started courting a girl from `there`
The bullying about where you lived is totally inexplicable to me. Is it possible that classmates from well-to-do parts had attacked her for her friendship with you and she was trying to prove something to them ?
Now that is an interesting question I must admit although I do wonder what made Amy behave as she did and have an idea or two, I have never actually considered if she felt under pressure to bully me by others. It is indeed a possibility however I do feel Amy chose to torment me about my home life for her own amusement.
She didn`t seem to have a lot of friends in fact I only ever really saw her with the one that acted as a witness and backed up Amy`s bullying claim. That Amy only seemed to have the one friend is a possible reason she turned against me, she may have been someone who preferred a one to one friendship. I don`t think she was overly happy being part of a social group . Due to how the school divided us by surname once she was placed into her correct form she would have come into contact with different people and she found her special friend, I was dumped but she may not have been thrilled that I took being dumped quite so well! She was Superior to me how dare I not seem overly bothered by her withdrawing her friendship!!
All the time Amy and I where friends I never noticed any snobbery but when Amy joined our school some of the other girls took against her because they thought she was stuck up, my sister on being told Amy was no longer my friend said she was glad because she found her a sly little snob and one of my friends admitted she had never took to Amy because of her sly digs about me being poor.
I suspect Amy always despised me for being poor I was just convenient to begin with, a local girl to show her the ropes, protect her from the local bullies and I had elder siblings who took us to places out of reach without adult supervision, I`d been useful but now she didn`t need me, she had found her own friend who suited her better. She may have bullied me about my home life because she was ashamed she had ever been a friend of someone so unsuitable!
hcj is correct that Amy`s mother was a bit of a social climber no doubt that influenced Amy. Money, possessions, connections where all very important to Amy`s mother. I have to say though I was never made to feel unwelcome in their house I even got invited to a couple of dinner parties, maybe she was showing how charitable she was to the poor!
QuoteLikeShare
Guest
Aug 07, 2014#103
The maximum number of strokes of the cane a school pupil could receive was six strokes. In my school day it was known as ‘six of the best’. I was wondering how many of you actually received the full six and how it was given (all on the bottom, all six on one hand, three on each hand etc.); who administered the punishment? and other information?
A reader in the Ireland asks:
“Was it usual for girls to be caned on the bottom and not the hand at your school?
No I think it was more usual for both girls and boys to be caned on the hand
Did the teacher tell you that it was going to be on the bottom?”
No I can not recall being told where I was going to get caned.
A reader in the United States asks:
“Was your punishment witnessed by another member of staff?”
No a witness was not present.
QuoteLikeShare
Oliver_Sydney
899
48
Aug 08, 2014#104
The maximum number of strokes of the cane a school pupil could receive was six strokes. In my school day it was known as ‘six of the best’. I was wondering how many of you actually received the full six and how it was given (all on the bottom, all six on one hand, three on each hand etc.); who administered the punishment? and other information?
Hello JD19
Thank you very much for your extended reply. It is still difficult to understand the level of vindictiveness that Amy showed, but I guess the reasons must be along the lines discussed. It is a pity that no one has answered my question as to how their school might have handled a situation such as yours. Whilst your Deputy HM was a disgrace I am far from confident someone in a similar position to you would have been listened to. The standard approach seemed to be a summary decision followed by punishment – kids were rarely believed when defending themselves.
Goodness!! At least I have never had to read anything awful about where I grew-up!
I feel a bit of a fraud in quoting that idiot of an MP, as I did not feel disadvantaged or inferior. I only heard of the statement that I quoted 2 years ago (in a new book). However I have no doubt some other MPs and nearby residents thought along similar lines. There was a hepatitis outbreak in the camp that year which didn’t help. We were migrants from England (“Ten Pound Poms”), and most stayed in migrant hostels for some years for financial reasons. Some hostels were co-located with welfare housing for locals – in both cases there were a range of residents. The camps were made up of ex-military huts and were cramped and very hot in summer. Most kids remember the camps fondly, but parents were often horrified when they arrived and felt the Aust Govt had misled them. But they were stuck for 2 years – if they went back to the UK before then they had to pay the fare both ways.
QuoteLikeShare
hcsj44
1,211
Aug 08, 2014#105
The maximum number of strokes of the cane a school pupil could receive was six strokes. In my school day it was known as ‘six of the best’. I was wondering how many of you actually received the full six and how it was given (all on the bottom, all six on one hand, three on each hand etc.); who administered the punishment? and other information?
Oliver Sydney wrote:
It is a pity that no one has answered my question as to how their school might have handled a situation such as yours.
Perhaps I was fortunate, but I am not aware of any situation in either of my schools that was anything like jd19’s experience. They were both very happy places. If problems had occurred, I think the staff would have been sympathetic and would have warned the bully to stop.
Alan Turing grew up only a few miles from my home; it would be interesting to know if his experience was the same?
I can only recall being bullied on two occasions, both times by pupils of other schools while travelling home. Although upsetting, neither event was serious nor was the bullying sustained.
QuoteLikeShare
AlanTuringBletchley
626
73
Aug 09, 2014#106
The maximum number of strokes of the cane a school pupil could receive was six strokes. In my school day it was known as ‘six of the best’. I was wondering how many of you actually received the full six and how it was given (all on the bottom, all six on one hand, three on each hand etc.); who administered the punishment? and other information?
To answer hcj’s question: at the grammar school I attended, there wasn’t much in the way of serious bullying. Also, both the headmaster and deputy headmaster were thoughtful people who, although using the cane when necessary, would not have done so without taking care to ensure that there was reasonable justification. They would not have attempted to belittle a pupil.
In fact, for both the schools I attended, I’m only aware of three instances of excessive CP. I think I’ve mentioned all of them in various posts over the years, but I’ll revisit them if anyone’s interested.
I’m now back in the UK, by the way. No more pictures of Melbourne trams!
QuoteLikeShare
Oliver_Sydney
899
48
Aug 09, 2014#107
The maximum number of strokes of the cane a school pupil could receive was six strokes. In my school day it was known as ‘six of the best’. I was wondering how many of you actually received the full six and how it was given (all on the bottom, all six on one hand, three on each hand etc.); who administered the punishment? and other information?
Hello hcj and Alan Turing
Thank you very much for your answers. My question was hypothetical, but the statement that you would see such a situation as extremely unlikely in your schools is an answer in itself.
However I would suggest that the situation where someone was bullied at a low (or not so low) level for a considerable period and the victim felt unable to report it would have been more than possible in many schools. Three examples in different countries are those attended by JD19, HH and myself. That the victim would finally hit back (as JD19 and HH did) was also very possible.
QuoteLikeShare
Lockie
5
Apr 14, 2018#108
I’m new to the forum and have recently posted on another thread about about a very painful six I received in part due to my own actions and a desire to resolve my curiosity and join the ranks of those caned by one of my school’s feared caners.
The most feared caner was the Deputy Headmaster and although I was never caned by him (a step too far), I did witness two of his canings carried out in front of the whole class. These both occurred in the third year and left a deep impression on me. In the first case a boy was caned after putting a pornographic picture on the blackboard before a temporary French teacher’s lesson. After establishing who the culprit was the Deputy Headmaster left the classroom and returned a couple of minutes later with the senior cane. He called the boy out to the front and bent him over the desk. He proceeded to give him what would have been a ferocious six of the best, with the cane lifted well over his shoulder, but left it at five when the boy pleaded for mercy through his tears.
On the other occasion he came into the class, again with the senior cane, to deal with a boy who had been persistently disruptive during lessons. He ordered him to bend over the desk but the boy claimed to have a boil on his bottom. He then told him to hold out his left hand, but the boy displayed stitches from a recent injury. The boy was then told to hold out his right hand and received three vicious strokes with similar execution to the previous incident. How he kept his hand out for three such hard strokes on his hand from the senior cane was a mystery. Barbaric as this sounds it was the norm, or the top end of the norm, in those days – mid to late 60s
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
QuoteLikeShare
bripuk
399
29
Apr 14, 2018#109
In the second case the Deputy Head should have waited for a few days before applying the cane to the boy’s backside. The intervening period would have provided a salutary lesson to the boy knowing that he was facing a good thrashing on the correct part of his anatomy.
QuoteLikeShare
Lockie
5
Apr 14, 2018#110
Hi Bripuk, I suppose that may have had an impact on the boy who was caned, but in a way I think the DH probably felt it was a job well done. He had made an unexpected entrance and delivered a punishment that not only took a disruptive influence down a peg or two in front of his peers but also terrified not only the goodies but also any of those who may have been tempted to follow the caned boy’s example. In terms of three on the hand with the senior cane or six on the backside, from my experience of more moderate hand canings with lesser canes, which stung like hell and caused bruising that took a week to heal, I think I might have gone for the six. Just the sound it made sent shivers down my spine. Let’s just say that none of the 30 odd witnesses had any desire to put their hand out for a similar punishment. Fair dos to the boy, he didn’t pull his hand away, didn’t cry out and although he spent the lesson with his head on his desk there was no evidence of him crying.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
QuoteLikeShare
hcj44
228
23
Apr 14, 2018#111
Hello Lockie. Thanks for two interesting accounts. The first one sounds “a fair cop”. It was certainly risky to draw a vulgar picture on the blackboard. But how was the culprit identified, did he own up or did one of the other classmates report him?
I agree with you that hand caning is nasty. For some reason, it seems much more difficult to cope with than on your backside. I liked your comment about the sound, which made a much stronger impression when it was happening to someone else, than when you were on the receiving end.
QuoteLikeShare
Lockie
5
Apr 14, 2018#112
Hi hcj44, the pornography incident involved a page from a porn mag not a chalk drawing on the blackboard. The culprit was identified when the DH threatened to cane the whole class. Eyes turned towards him and he obviously didn’t fancy the retribution that may come his way if we were all caned. The wait after the DH left the classroom to fetch the cane must have been almost as bad as the caning for him.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
QuoteLikeShare
grahen
10
5
Apr 15, 2018#113
Hi Nathan, I have just come across your corporal punishment question about whether anyone had received 6 of the best with a leather strap on the hands. Yes, I receved the strap on the hands many times during the 1960’s, mainly 2 or 4, but sometimes 6 of the very best for getting caught smoking in school uniform, or some other serious offence. I never cried when I got the strap, but I was bloody close to it a couple of times, depending on what teacher was giving it. I always felt quite good after a strapping, even though my palms were sore and red. I did not however enjoy the cane on the backside, and fortunately the most I ever received with the cane was 4 strokes. The strap at school was given for all sorts of things,even minor things, and I think some teachers got a thrill out of calling a naughty boy out to the front of the class while he took his strap out of his draw and told you to put your right hand out. We always had to hold our hand out to the side, and he would balance the strap on your palm for a few seconds before taking it back over his shoulder and bringing it down hard on your palm. Some teachers didn’t hurt too much, but with others you certainly knew you had been leathered! About 20 years ago I met up with an old school teacher friend of mine and when I used to go on holiday, I would stay with him and we would play out many school teacher/naughty boy scenarios and he would give me the strap on the hands two or three times a day for various offences. We both enjoyed the experience and I never knew how many I was going to get at a time, although as at school it was never more than 6 of the best. He has since passed on, and I only wish I could meet someone else who could give me a few leatherings. He had several straps and used a different one on me each time. It hurt sometimes but I really enjoyed the experience. I would love to talk with you some more about corporal punishment if you like. Cheers, Graham
QuoteLikeShare
Jamesinshorts16 likes this post
Apr 15, 2018#114
Hi Nathan, I have just come across your question on the corporal punishment site asking who had received 6 of the best on the hands with a leather strap. Yes, I got it many times in the 1960’s and I would like to correspond with you if you like. Please let me know if you are still interested. Cheers, Graham
QuoteLikeShare
Apr 16, 2018#115
Hi bro, did you get my e-mail yesterday? I would love to talk to you some more about CP with a leather strap. Graham
QuoteLikeShare
Apr 16, 2018#116
Hi Nathan, did you get my e-mail yesterday about getting the strap on the hands? I would love to talk some more with you about CP. Graham
QuoteLikeShare
PeteL1951
41
1
Apr 24, 2018#117
I got six of the best on four occasions when at school. All were on my bottom. Three times were over trousers but on one occasion I had to drop my trousers.
The majority of canings in my school were not six strokes if given by a normal teacher but the headmaster always gave a full six.
QuoteLikeShare
ThrashedScouser
12
Apr 25, 2018#118
I got ‘Six-of-the Best’ in 5th form when I was 16 3 of us were beaten for Truanting. Very simaler account to the ones above but we went in one at a time to be caned hard by the Head. Afterwards we went to toilet block to look at the welts. 6 deep purple stripes across our bottoms. School also informed parents as well so got a leathering from dad as well!!
QuoteLikeShare
Guest
May 04, 2018#119
I got 8 strokes once but normally about 6 times in my school life always on my bottom once bare once on underpants. If anyone wants more detail please email me.
QuoteLikeShare
jhnwarrior
15
1
Aug 07, 2018#120
At Grammar School being sent to the Head always meant six of the best he never gave less even if you were in 1at form and therefore 12 or a 6th former and 17 or 18. In reality very few 1st or 6th former were sent. Head’s caning were always shorts down over underpants and in private although he did publicly cane two boys at assembly once while I was there. I managed to earn 4 headmaster canings which were unbelievably painful especially the first to the point of years in eyes and sobbing at stroke 3. On maybe it was second occasion he delivered a really low very painful cut to which I yelled “f—k” and he increased the tariff to 8. I was 15 at the time and I guess any would say 6 is about the limit most can take but 8 is unbelievably more painful and so much more difficult to take. To answer the obvious yes I was crying and pulling my trousers up was agony.
QuoteLikeShare
grahen
10
5
Aug 07, 2018#121
Hi, I just wish there was somebody around now who would be prepared to give me 6 of the best on the hands with a school leather strap
QuoteLikeShare
Nate1969 likes this post
jhnwarrior
15
1
Aug 08, 2018#122
Hi. From experience I can say 6 is almost unbearable. It’s considerably worse than 6 on the bottom whether clothed or bare largely because taking it on your bottom you cannot see it coming and generally all you need to do is maintain position and even then jumping up and clutching stinging bottom is well known. In hand strapping its completely different as usually after each stinging painful stroke you need to offer an already sore and throbbing hand up for more pain and watch as the teacher forcefully lashes the strap down on your sore hand while keeping it in position. I had one teacher who used to make you put your foot on a stool underneath your outstretched hand so if you moved your hand the strap hit your bare leg where your shorts had risen up. Very painful as he repeated the hand stroke until he hit it rather than your leg.
QuoteLikeShare
KKxyz
3,590
53
Aug 08, 2018#123
Formatting for easier reading
Graham,
Thanks for posting but can you please break your blocks of texts to allow easier reading by those of us who have trouble scanning? The following is what I am suggesting:
________________________________________
Hi Nathan,
I have just come across your corporal punishment question about whether anyone had received 6 of the best with a leather strap on the hands. Yes, I received the strap on the hands many times during the 1960’s, mainly 2 or 4, but sometimes 6 of the very best for getting caught smoking in school uniform, or some other serious offence.
I never cried when I got the strap, but I was bloody close to it a couple of times, depending on what teacher was giving it. I always felt quite good after a strapping, even though my palms were sore and red. I did not however enjoy the cane on the backside, and fortunately, the most I ever received with the cane was 4 strokes.
The strap at school was given for all sorts of things, even minor things, and I think some teachers got a thrill out of calling a naughty boy out to the front of the class while he took his strap out of his draw and told you to put your right hand out. We always had to hold our hand out to the side, and he would balance the strap on your palm for a few seconds before taking it back over his shoulder and bringing it down hard on your palm.
Some teachers didn’t hurt too much, but with others you certainly knew you had been leathered! About 20 years ago I met up with an old school teacher friend of mine and when I used to go on holiday, I would stay with him and we would play out many school teacher/naughty boy scenarios and he would give me the strap on the hands two or three times a day for various offences.
We both enjoyed the experience and I never knew how many I was going to get at a time, although as at school it was never more than 6 of the best. He has since passed on, and I only wish I could meet someone else who could give me a few leatherings. He had several straps and used a different one on me each time. It hurt sometimes but I really enjoyed the experience.
I would love to talk with you some more about corporal punishment if you like.
Cheers, Graham
________________________________________
I am curious about you preference for hand strapping over caning.
Did it hurt less?
Did others have a similar preference?
Might the difference between teachers have related to their different straps rather than their different skill or determination?
Why was the right writing hand preferred?
Thanks.
Handout.gif (63.32KiB)
QuoteLikeShare
Aug 08, 2018#124
The ins and outs of hand strapping
How wide was the typical school strap? How much of a victim’s hand was covered by the strap?
How accurate was the aim of the typical teacher? How often were finger tips or wrists hit? How often was there a complete miss? (All assuming the hand was held still).
How did having both hand “done” compared with “all on one”?
How long before the hands were no longer tender?
Hand-out2.jpg (17.57KiB)
QuoteLikeShare
grahen
10
5
Aug 09, 2018#125
Hi, many thanks for your e-mail. Now to answer your questions . The reason I preferred the strap on the hands was I liked the eye to eye contact with the teacher. I dont know whether other boys had similar preferences. Yes, some teachers did have straps made of harder leather which of course hurt a lot more I could take it better on my right hand The straps were usually about 2ft long and 3inches wide and most of the palm would feel it Yes, their aim was normally pretty spot on, as back in the 70’s teachers strapped a lot, even for things like getting your homework wrong Occasionally fingertips or wrists got hit but not often. If a boy pulled his hand away,it was the wrong thing to do, as you would end up getting another strapping the next day and that would normally be 6 of the best or get sent to the headmaster and he had a mean looking very narrow strap and he would make you roll up your sleeves and hold your hand out to the front rather than the side so that he got you right up the arm. That used to hurt! I preferred getting 2 on each palm rather than 4 on the same one How long before the hands were no longer tender? Do you mean after the first strapping you got or after a few strappings over a period? I like the photo of the strap and would love to receive 2 biffs on each hand with it, Cheers, Graham