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The misleading thing about talking about how strict school used to be is that you could leave school at a younger age.
I didn't leave school at a young age, I completed it, as did everyone else in my class. Dropping out wasn't an option. There is nothing misleading about it.
My parents' generation did leave school early to work on farms or take care of their parents. But not my generation.
It's not generational. It's regional and depends when and where you went to school. Must have been pretty hard on those during segregation in the south and they were in the process of desegragating or when there was busing in the northeast. Then, there were the progressive schools of the 1920s, where discipline was pretty lax. And the Free School movement of the 1960s-70s, part of the return to the progressive movement where kids could basically do what they wanted. Then there were the schools run by the Black Panther Movement (yes, they had their own schools where kids were taught to call the police "pigs," but were also shown emotional validation and got decent meals).
I guess even though I am older than many here, I would say that my schools were less disciplined than they are now. Partially because the teachers were afraid they would be assaulted by the students, partially because students were given a lot more choices since I attended a high school that was considered "progressive" during its day. Students were allowed to smoke outside when they were 18. There was talk of making a smoking lounge. They could drink off-campus also when they were 18, but we have a late cut off for starting school so if anyone turned 18, it would only be a few months before HS graduation. Some of my teachers permitted you to call them by their first name in high school. And everyone used the F word, including many teachers-not something usually done now. You could be suspended, but there was no detention. Then at the same time, I had friends who attended Catholic School and they were whacked and belittled by the nuns. They also had detention and I suppose suspension. And my friends in other types of religious-Parochial schools-well they really didn't have much discipline at all.
I guess to many they would be considered strict. I mostly went to Christian schools and they didn't allow some things a traditional public school would allow. But I didn't find the rules overbearing.
My school was strict with the people that they disliked (especially high achieving students, and bullying victims), and they were lax with the people that they liked (especially average students, and bullies).
I have to disagree about it not being generational. Growing up in the 1950's (our generation) it was considered the norm to spank your kids, and for teachers to hit kids. By the time my kids were in grade school in the 1980's a teacher hitting a kid would have been considered a felony. Over the generations social mores have changed. When I was young men beat there wives and most of the times the cops blinked it away, and women wouldn't prefer charges because the family would starve. Sexual harrasment was considered normal, as was discrimination based on sex, religion and race. By today's standards, almost everyone was chauvenistic, and racist in every part of the country.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coney
It's not generational. It's regional and depends when and where you went to school. Must have been pretty hard on those during segregation in the south and they were in the process of desegragating or when there was busing in the northeast. Then, there were the progressive schools of the 1920s, where discipline was pretty lax. And the Free School movement of the 1960s-70s, part of the return to the progressive movement where kids could basically do what they wanted. Then there were the schools run by the Black Panther Movement (yes, they had their own schools where kids were taught to call the police "pigs," but were also shown emotional validation and got decent meals).
I guess even though I am older than many here, I would say that my schools were less disciplined than they are now. Partially because the teachers were afraid they would be assaulted by the students, partially because students were given a lot more choices since I attended a high school that was considered "progressive" during its day. Students were allowed to smoke outside when they were 18. There was talk of making a smoking lounge. They could drink off-campus also when they were 18, but we have a late cut off for starting school so if anyone turned 18, it would only be a few months before HS graduation. Some of my teachers permitted you to call them by their first name in high school. And everyone used the F word, including many teachers-not something usually done now. You could be suspended, but there was no detention. Then at the same time, I had friends who attended Catholic School and they were whacked and belittled by the nuns. They also had detention and I suppose suspension. And my friends in other types of religious-Parochial schools-well they really didn't have much discipline at all.
I went to both public and private school at different times.
The public school was very lax. Loose rules and few meaningful consequences for breaking them. This degraded the educational experience IMO even though it was a very good school academically.
Private school was stricter but not overly so, and there were pretty evenly enforced consequences for breaking rules.
Public school. Strict. We knew the rules, at my school we respected the teachers and other adults. I never knew a child on medicine for bad behavior ... one child (about age 9 in 1984) who routinely acted up, was spanked by a teacher (once, not hard ... she was my favorite teacher!) and his mom was called. He never acted up again, I swear, he was a good student after that, we went through all years together. Mostly when kids acted up they were sent to the principals office, parents were called, pink slips were given, suspensions for serious infractions. Kids were expected to behave. My parents wouldn't have tolerated me disobeying or disrespecting authority. Hardly anyone in my class of nearly 200 people dropped out of school. In fact many, many, many of them are very successful today.
Class of 1993 - Michigan
Our society today acts like rules are a bad thing, meant to be broken. Discipline is a "bad word". Authority is viewed as something to be spit upon and reviled. Rebellion is worn like a badge of honor. I've never seen so much disrespect in all my life, as I see today ... and that goes for children and adults alike. "We don't need no education. Hey, teacher! Leave those kids alone!" is the hostile war cry heard around the world. So look at the results. Is it any wonder? Shameful doesn't begin to describe it.
Last edited by SouthernProper; 08-24-2017 at 04:59 PM..
Public school. Strict. We knew the rules, at my school we respected the teachers and other adults. I never knew a child on medicine for bad behavior ... one child (about age 9 in 1984) who routinely acted up, was spanked by a teacher (once, not hard ... she was my favorite teacher!) and his mom was called. He never acted up again, I swear, he was a good student after that, we went through all years together. Mostly when kids acted up they were sent to the principals office, parents were called, pink slips were given, suspensions for serious infractions. Kids were expected to behave. My parents wouldn't have tolerated me disobeying or disrespecting authority. Hardly anyone in my class of nearly 200 people dropped out of school. In fact many, many, many of them are very successful today.
Class of 1993 - Michigan
Our society today acts like rules are a bad thing, meant to be broken. Discipline is a "bad word". Authority is viewed as something to be spit upon and reviled. Rebellion is worn like a badge of honor. I've never seen so much disrespect in all my life, as I see today ... and that goes for children and adults alike. "We don't need no education. Hey, teacher! Leave those kids alone!" is the hostile war cry heard around the world. So look at the results. Is it any wonder? Shameful doesn't begin to describe it.
I always hear about these success stories of Catholic or strict schools that the ends justify the means but honestly I do wonder whether it's confirmation bias.
It also really depends on the issue. Kids who are have problems like lagging behind academically or having rows with a teacher may be easily sorted out with some spanking while I don't believe for a second that the likes of people such as Elliot Rodger, the guy who went on that spree in Isla Vista would have been 'straightened out if they were subjected to harsh punishments.
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