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How did lady teachers learn?

August 8 2002 at 2:21 PM

Having been a schoolboy in the midlands of England during the 50s at Grammar School I got the cane across my bottom several times from the Headmaster in his study. In junior school I got the cane several times from the Headmistress and other teachers always on the hand. I am firmly of the opinion that 50% of the school kids of that era were caned  boys were indeed fortunate to make it through a school career without getting it and girls were indeed unfortunate if they ever got it and even then it was exclusively on the hand.

A question that has been intriguing me for years is how did the lady teachers know how to cane a boys bottom? How many strokes? How hard? What position to make them adopt? What to do with boys who refused to bend over? How did they know when a boy couldnt take any more? Padding? Etc.

Since all male teachers would have had the cane at school or seen people caned or at least been party to discussions about the cane they would know about how it felt and how it was done. Lady teachers and Headmistresses would probably not have had this knowledge so how did they learn? Was it at teachers training college, if so what were they taught and how?

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Re: How did lady teachers learn?

August 8 2002, 3:02 PM 


You say that almost every boy was caned at your school and that very few girls were.

That state of affairs is markedly different from that described by a couple of other contributors who recall that girls and boys received CP as frequently as each other (i.e. very frequently indeed) at their schools.

I cannot imagine that either you or they are misremembering how things were and can therefore only suppose that things were very different either side of Hadrian's Wall.

Your list of questions is, I suggest, based upon the misconception that there is any great degree of skill involved in weilding a cane.

CP-inspired onanists like 'George' will spend hours explaining the finer points but the truth is it's very much a matter of common sense.

I have no doubt that very very very few UK schoolboys were ever caned on the bottom by a female teacher or Headteacher . . . but I'm sure your posting will have all the usual one-handed typists saying different.


Re: Re: How did lady teachers learn?

August 8 2002, 5:47 PM 

I can only say that every boy in my junior and senior schools got the slipper at least once, it was impossible not too.
Girls all seemed to get a smack at least at junior school, but did not get as much ast senior school.
I guess by then they had wised up and realised that being the superiour species ( in being devious and dodging punishment) That if they ere a little demure and quiet they would not get it.
Boys being a bit immature looked on it as part of life, like toothache.
I doubt if it took much learning to punish adequately and ipso facto female teachers would not have cared if they were too harsh. In my experience male teachers were strict but fair. SOME females were sadistic meadow ladies to say the least.
over and out


One handed typist in action!

August 9 2002, 12:55 AM 

I type with one hand because i cant type with two Sarajane. No other reason. I think the truth is women caned boys on the bottom in junior schools but rarely in senior schools. The reasons for this is both the young age of the recipients in Primary school and the large percentage of women teachers.
I expect they practised on a cushion like everyone else, unless they called for volunteers!


Re: One handed typist in action!

August 9 2002, 9:36 AM 

Dear James,
logical and as simple as that!
They had al the material to work on that they needed.
In my days, kids would no way tell their parents they had been punished.
For two reasons, fear of another whack at home, and plain shame.
The teacher got away with murder.



August 9 2002, 10:32 AM 

What a wonderful expression jay......" meadow ladies".
I too type with one hand sarajane ma dear, for exactly the same reason as James......besides its no the same wi ma other hand LOL!!!!!


Re: Coos?

August 9 2002, 3:02 PM 

I type without my hands, work that one oot!


How did lady teachers learn

August 12 2002, 4:41 PM 

Seem to have got off the point a bit here. My point was not whether boys got the cane more than girls in England in the 50s since this is a well known fact.

A look at a few autobiographies will show that in almost all those written by men caning is an important part. The ladies very rarely mention it. Similarly Desert Island Disks on radio.

At my junior school the male teachers (both of them) caned but rarely and then only with a flick of a small cane. It stung but was hardly brutal. There were a couple of lady teachers and a Headmistress, however, who would use a long piece of thick-ish bamboo. They would have the boy hold out his hand in front of the class and take the biggest swing possible with the cane back over their shoulder. The pain was horrendous and left a major mark for days. They put so much effort into the force their aim was non too accurate and sometimes they missed altogether or hit you across the wrist. They clearly had no concept of how much it hurt particularly as it was often given for trivial reasons.

I have never been caned on the bottom by a lady teacher but I can imagine 6 of the best from my junior school Headmistress would amout to a major flogging rather than a child's punishment.

I can't imagine this force was intended since she was a very nice lady in all other ways but I can only imagine she had never learned how to do it properly and reasonably.


The best way to learn

August 12 2002, 4:56 PM 

Well of course it's too late now. The good old days being no longer with us but as you mentioned in your previous posting Stu23, the best way to have learned would be by experiencing the pain for themselves, perhaps at teacher training college! I can just see the queue of volunteers to administer the punishment, stretching from Lands End to John o Groats, and every one a headmaster{or headmistress!} with many years of experience.

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