Can the old methods of school discipline leave their mark upon adult life?
Former pupils’ recollections raise difficult questions about punishment, authority and the impressions carried from childhood
The cane, the slipper and the strap remain familiar instruments of discipline in many British schools. Their merits have long been disputed by educationalists, parents and teachers. Less often considered is another and rather more delicate question: what lasting impression may such punishment make upon the child who receives it? In the following article we examine the recollections of former pupils and the suggestion that experiences of school discipline may sometimes reach considerably further into adult life than was once supposed.
