SGU: Were You Paddled At School?

[RG_]

Originally Posted by Veronica Daniels

...and on occasion quite a few of us were sent to the head nun's office where we were paddled with a ping pong style paddle with holes in it. ...

Veronica, this is good information. Give me a bit more of an outline, please. Was your experience typical for girls in this school, or would you say that you were paddled more or less than average?

How many paddlings would you estimate that you got during your years in school?

What was the last grade level in which you were paddled?

Thanks!

[Veronica Daniels]

Well, I would say that like in any school there was a group of girls who never got in trouble and were pretty much the "good" ones and then there were the ones like me who got in trouble on a more frequent basis. I certainly was not the only one who got it, and some got it a lot more than I did! I was pretty much a quiet kid who kept to her own business, but my Mom was the only divorced Mom in the whole school (Catholic) and that made the nuns pick on me more for sure. They often said bad things about Mom right to my face and within earshot.

So, it seemed like the smallest infraction got me some serious corporal punishment and if a "good girl" did the same thing she got off with a stern look and maybe a lecture.

There were plenty of other girls who got what I got and I am sure the nuns had their reasons with them, too. It was often pretty subjective, in my opinion. They had their favorites who never got disciplined.

I got paddled maybe three or four times in six years. They were memorable! My last paddling was in 6th grade for asking an inappropriate question in catechism class regarding them virgin birth of Jesus. After seeing the results of the paddling and hearing why I got it, my Mom took me out of the school and put me in public school. There was no paddling there! I think there should have been! Those kids were out of control and it was pure culture shock for me.

On top of the paddling, I frequently got the wooden ruler on the palms, ear pulling (to the point of thinking my ear might detach from my head), arm pinching, corner time, and public humiliation. Those nuns had it down!

I still think of those disciplinary moments with vivid recall. I think I always will. They certainly made an impression on me. In some ways good and in other ways bad.

Veronica

[PandaBear]

Man I'm glad I didn't go to Catholic school! The nuns sure sound like they didn't like anyone challenging their views on the world, or the stories for that matter. I was one of those types in school that was always questioning the logic of some things!