Having the stick/dap in school

[jimmyscoular]

This has been an interesting thread. Corporal punishment is one of those issues where I have always been able to see both sides. I don't like it, but neither do I like obnoxious, disruptive kids making it impossible for everyone else to learn. As I look back to those long-ago high school days I remember relatively few disrupted classes. Most teachers had their ways of maintaining order. I recall a newly arrived English teacher (prime material for abuse) warning us that he had served in North Africa during WWII with the famous Desert Rats and that he would tolerate no nonsense. He never had a problem. A gentle French teacher, however, suffered terribly. Every class was like something out of St. Trinian's — totally out of control. Some kids earned their whacks.

[Taunton Blue Genie]

When I was at school (late sixties, early seventies) most of the teachers seemed to be disciplinarians and were punitive in nature - but a French teacher came along who was a complete wonder. His name was Ravvi Mooneeram. He was an Indian ethnic gentleman from Mauritius and he taught at Cyntwell Secondary School. He was revolutionary in that he injected fun and humour into his teaching and even used to talk to us occasionally in Welsh just to confuse us. The guy oozed personality and positivity.
I left Cyntwell after two years but I never forgot him. In fact, when my mother died I realised that we should express to those people who left a positive mark on us how we felt about them. I looked up his name in the telephone book and spoke to what seemed a younger gentleman who wanted to know why I was ringing. It turned out to be Mr Mooneeram's son and his dad had died a few days before.
His son took some comfort in my words but I should have tried to make contact and thanked his Dad decades earlier.

[splott parker]

When I was at school (late sixties, early seventies) most of the teachers seemed to be disciplinarians and were punitive in nature - but a French teacher came along who was a complete wonder. His name was Ravvi Mooneeram. He was an Indian ethnic gentleman from Mauritius and he taught at Cyntwell Secondary School. He was revolutionary in that he injected fun and humour into his teaching and even used to talk to us occasionally in Welsh just to confuse us. The guy oozed personality and positivity.
I left Cyntwell after two years but I never forgot him. In fact, when my mother died I realised that we should express to those people who left a positive mark on us how we felt about them. I looked up his name in the telephone book and spoke to what seemed a younger gentleman who wanted to know why I was ringing. It turned out to be Mr Mooneeram's son and his dad had died a few days before.
His son took some comfort in my words but I should have tried to make contact and thanked his Dad decades earlier.

Great teachers do leave a mark on you, John Williams, one of Lady Mary’s finest, passed away recently, I’m so glad that I’d had a pint with him now and again in The Royal Oak post school days.

[Taunton Blue Genie]

Great teachers do leave a mark on you, John Williams, one of Lady Mary’s finest, passed away recently, I’m so glad that I’d had a pint with him now and again in The Royal Oak post school days.

Quite a few bad teachers left a mark on me too.

[splott parker]

Quite a few bad teachers left a mark on me too.

The great teachers marks last for the rest of your life though