I was in the 4th grade in 1954. Three swats on my butt with a paddle (with drilled holes) in Principal Rasmondson’s office got my attention.
Then I got the belt from dad when I got home. Mom kept me busy with extra chores for the entire weekend.
I never again stole chalk from school — I also never again wrote dirty words on the road, right up to my house. ;>)
Wow! That was back in the day when men were men and women were women. And children were expected to behave.
Isolation rooms? Really?
Public schools are not schools. At best they are prisons posing as indoctrination centers.
I didn't have classmates who routinely crawled under their desks, cursed out teachers, or banged their heads against the walls.
Did you?
My child had to deal with this type of unacceptable behavior everyday.
I doubt the disturbed children benefitted much from the experience.
I know the “normal” children didn't gain anything constructive, other than pure disdain for their supposedly superior adult teachers, who tried to force them to pretend to tolerate abnormal behavior.
I was in grade school in the 70's and they still were using the paddle... it was the great intimidator and folklore was rampant about how fiery and evil that paddle was. Kids had even had technical discussions on the aerodynamics of those drilled holes and how it enhanced the brutal effects of it's use. Unfortunately, it connected with my butt on one occasion in 4th grade when I was caught throwing rocks at cars with a group of derelicts after school. My dad also took my back up to the school that weekend with a push broom and and shovel and made me sweep the ENTIRE parking lot.