It seems that this teacher was very fond of smacking both boys and girls.
The trouble is that I doubt if at that time he was breaking any laws provided it was smacking and not fondling children’s bottoms.
Indeed, even if he was doing it bare I doubt if he was breaking the law.
Education Authorities and School Boards had rules on who could use corporal punishment and how it was used.
In most cases, it was only for the cane and excluded the use of slippers and hands.
I am still shocked at the number of smacks you got.
However, that is another point.
I am fairly sure that what this teacher was doing was not against the law for a number of reasons.
You yourself stated while your bottom stung at the time it was only pink and not bruised when you got home.
This suggests it was not excessive, only this time you felt it was not deserved.
If he was smacking a lot of children, some parents must have known of this.
Either they see marks on bottoms at bath or bedtime with young children.
A child telling their mother they were spanked or most likely a child telling their mother that so and so was spanked and that mother passing it on.
If nobody said anything about this, then one has to assume that it was regarded as reasonable.
When these cases come to court today they have to be based on what the law said AT THE TIME, not as it stands now.
I always found that if parents were aware and no effort made to hide the facts from them they were more ready to accept cp.
I remember right from 1940 to 1968 at St Peters (State Junior School, all boys) that parents when waiting to collewct boys could see right into my office.
They knew I knew they could see in.
Being able tyo see reduced mistrust.
Yes. They could see me caning boys and had a clear view of it going across the bare bottom.
It was fully acceptable that boys were caned on the bare.
Parents knew and saw it carried out. It was only when some heads decided to hide the punishments behind closed doors and the “I wont tell your parents this time” policy started that caused the real problems.
