I was educated at a Catholic school during the 1960s, and got spanked many times during this period. One of the most memorable punishments was received when I was in the second year. We had a substitute teacher and none of us pupils were behaving ourselves.
For myself, I had folded a paper airplane – and right after I threw it, I felt something surprise me. It was a tug on my ear.
It took me a second to realise that the origin of this feeling was my first grade teacher, who had obviously come into the room to see what all the commotion was about.
She dragged me in front of the chalkboard, then said to the class: “Every one of you will stop making a noise this instant – unless you want to get your bottom smacked, like Tommy here!” Needless to say, silence fell over the classroom.
I then felt another tug on my ear as she dragged me back to her own classroom next door. As we entered her classroom, she remarked to anyone listening that she couldn’t believe she was about to spank a second yearsbottom.
My old teacher then hauled me to the back of the classroom, where her desk was. She opened the closet next to her desk, placed me inside and faced me towards her. I was so scared, I felt my legs began to tremble. I had not been spanked by her since first grade.
I heard her place her purse on her desk. Then I heard her fumbling through it. A couple of seconds after that I heard the sound of something wooden being smacked against her hand.
She then said that she was going to paddle me 6 times with her hairbrush. Then she told me to count out each swat. I did as instructed. By the fifth swat, I was crying.
When she completed the paddling, she removed me from the closet. Tears were streaming down my face. She then took out a piece of paper and began writing. Then she folded it up and handed it to me, saying: “Have your mother sign this, and return it to me first thing tomorrow morning!”
She then hauled me by the ear back into the second grade classroom and placed me in the corner, ordering me to stay there until recess. All I could think about as I stood there was my burning bottom – and how my mother was going to make it even hotter when I got home with that note.
When I got home, I gave the note to my mother right away to get it over with. Sure enough, after she read it, she ordered me to fetch the hairbrush she kept got for spankings from her bedroom.
When I returned, she announced that she was going to spank me. I don’t think I’ve ever cried so much, it hurt so bad. Afterwards I was placed in the corner . Mom then told me that I would have no supper and would stay in the corner until bedtime.
I definitely learned my lesson – I never made, or threw, a paper airplane in class again.
