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I went to Catholic schools for 16 years, including college, and never saw anything approaching this kind of physical abuse, or any sign of sexual abuse, but I can say that there were minor forms of it - the ruler on the wrist, being grabbed by the ears, an occasional personal insult to a student,and so forth.

I went to Catholic school for 3 years. It was a *great* education. Honestly if I could do it all over again, I would've gone to a Catholic school K-12. Maybe college too. When I went back to a public school, most of my classes seemed easy.

I agree with your comments above: I NEVER saw any type of a hint of physical and/or sexual abuse in this school, nor did 6 of my cousins who attended another Catholic school K-12 across town.

Never even saw the ruler on the wrist, but some misbehaving boys were grabbed by the ears, lol. The rest of us who did something wrong were made to kneel on the floor for awhile. It was a badge of honor for some of the kids. ;-D

I had a really hard time with geometry and algebra in the 7th grade... the crankiest nun in the school taught this class. She was a terror in the classroom. However,when I had to 'stay after class' to be further tutored one-on-one by this nun, she was extremely kind and patient. It was amazing... my math scores improved after those sessions.

My Catholic school experience was tough, but overall very positive. Last I heard, this school no longer has any nuns... they're all lay teachers. Kind of sad.

I had the same experience in Catholic school (8 years). The nuns were tough but then the parents expected that. When we got in trouble with the nuns, we hid it from our parents because we’d get it again! It was very much a working-class, immigrant ethic with both the teachers and the parents. My husband’s Italian grandmother in the Bronx had a wooden spoon for when her son came home with a note from Sister!

I was also a baby boomer and people forget that during those days - the early 60s - there were up to sixty kids in a class. You had to be tough to maintain discipline. And they did!

My daughter went to Catholic schools for 16 years. The one operated by an order of sisters was the one she loved the most of the three. They were lefty sisters but she saw right through that and just enjoyed their kindness and dedication.

I knew the Sisters of Charity through catechism classes. Never went to a Catholic school. They were especially nice to me. I have nothing bad to say about them.

"My Catholic school experience was tough, but overall very positive. Last I heard, this school no longer has any nuns... they're all lay teachers. Kind of sad."

Belated reply: My younger sister is a teacher's aide at a Catholic elementary school - the same one I attended - and there are no nuns anymore, and some of the teachers aren't even Catholic. In fact, many of the students aren't Catholic, but go there because the educational quality is probably better than the public schools.

It's kind of turning into a school for affluent kids - Bob Newhart's grandson goes there. In my day, it was all Catholic, and students ranged from upper-class to lower-middle-class. Even though the tuition was low by today's standards, some parents scrimped and saved so their kids could attend.