In this image, we can see how kids were smacked in the hand with different materials.
In Chapter 2, page 28 of Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, we receive a glimpse at what was like going to school in the 1930’s. Scout, the narrator of the story, has a tomboyish personality and likes getting into fights. If she doesn’t like something, she’ll comment on it.
In page 26, Ms. Caroline, Scout’s teacher, offers money to one of the students, Walter Cunningham. The Cunninghams are known in Maycomb County for how poor they are. Walter, knowing that probably he wouldn’t be able to pay back to Ms. Caroline, refuses to accept the money. Scout, goes up and explains Ms. Caroline the reason behind Walter not wanting to accept her money. Ms. Caroline gets annoyed by Scout and on page 28, she takes Scout’s hand and hits it with a ruler. For those of us living in the 21st Century, might think that was a not the correct response to the situation, that if Ms. Caroine was annoyed, she should have sent Scout to the principal’s office.
During the 1930s, the school system was not the same as it is now. Back in the days, if teachers had a problem with a student, they’d solve it themselves. In case of a punishment, teachers whipped students with a rattan cane, wooden paddle, slippers, leather straps, or wooden yardsticks. For major misbehavior, a razor strop or a hickory switch was used on the child’s bottom. In some rare cases, punishments included smacking students with the open hand, this kind of punishment was avoided even more so in elementary school level. In certain schools, the punishments for girls were less harsh than for boys, while in other schools there was no differentiation when it was related to punishments.
Years later, this kind of punishments was prohibited since it promoted violence to students and harmed their bodies. It teaches students that violence was the way to solve problems. With the evolution of time, we can see how problems between teachers and students are solved differently, by visiting the principal’s office or by calling the student’s parents. In the present, if a teacher was to punish a student this way, unlike in the 1930s, it would cause controversy, with the possibilities of the teacher’s farewell.
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