How did misbehaving students get punished in the 50s and 60s?

Answer 1

First, in the 1950s and 1960s, misbehavior at school was simply not tolerated. Students were sent to the Principal's Office, which was a very big deal. Parents were usually called, making the trip to the office even more foreboding.

Teachers often handled minor incidents in the classroom. But punishments were not "minor". Being assigned to write, "I will not laugh in class", 100 times, neatly, on lined paper, using good penmanship, is a punishment that really sticks in your brain. Worse humiliation was to have to write the assigned statement 100 times on the blackboard in front of the whole class! We had two blackboards, so when you got to the end of one, after the teacher looked at it--briefly--you'd have to erase it all and begin writing ... ad nauseum, up to 100 (or more, if assigned). A kid never felt so relieved to get to number 99...and...100!

Ironically, in grade school, one task was used as reward---or punishment. In lower grades, it was a reward to be a teacher's "assistant" for the day, which included cleaning the chalkboard and clapping the erasers outside until clean. However, in older grade school years, staying after school to clean erasers was used as punishment! While friends walked home and had another hour to play, the punished kid stood outside making yellow or white clouds of chalk dust.

Those in Catholic grade schools recall being cracked across the knuckles for bad behavior or for not writing cursive nicely. As well, kids who stole got a ruler strike across the palms. I witnessed several ear pulls on boys, or hair pulls on girls, as the teacher dragged the student from a chair into the hall. These actions were not considered "child abuse"--many parents did worse than pulling hair or ears, and physical correction was much more the norm than it is now. Paddling was also very common.

High school was a little more tricky. Yes, you'd be called to the principal's office but now the "official school record" came more into play. Even if you thought you talked your way out of the misbehavior, it still was written into the record.