We got a wooden metre stick across the back of our bare legs in school. It did me no harm and taught me a lesson. Perhaps if punishment like this was brought back, you'd think twice about doing something. Hurt like hell and you couldn't sit down.
I recently met the same teacher that did that on numerous occasions and shook his hand and thanked him for teaching me a lesson I wouldn't break again in a hurry.
Take your pick at St. Greg's, Everton. Well, the teachers got to pick, not us.
The cane (hand or backside), the pump (as in trainer, not bike pump), the ruler across your knuckles, the wooden blackboard duster or chalk thrown at you at 90mph.
It was just accepted back then and never challenged, you wouldn't get parents coming up the school unless they were summoned by the Education Committee. You'd keep it from them if anything as being punished generally meant you'd done something wrong and if some parents of some kids fopund out they'd probably give them some further firm measures. You wouldn't dare bring shame to the front door - oh how it's all changed with 'knowledge'. Sometimes it was better living in the dark ages.
I attended S F X college on shaw st,after winning a scholarship from
St. Johns in kirkdale. In St Johns we a bamboo cane for punishment
which had a burnt end due to teachers burning the loose bits off after a period of use. In S F X we had a thing called a ferrula which was a 13"long
leather strap with supposedly a piece of whale bone in it. the teachers
never used it themselves but gave you a bill (a piece of paper with what you had done wrong, and how many lashes you had to recieve).this you took to the gym office at the end of the day or your dinner time,and a Jesuit brother would administer your punishment. There was always a
few lads waiting there so it was like waiting for a dentist.
gregs dad
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