High standards of discipline were expected in schools. The high spirits, pranks and chatter of the holidays had no place in the classroom, and those who indulged could often expect to face punishment.
Many people today still have vivid memories of being subjected to the belt (also known as the tawse or the strap) for incidents that varied from throwing stones to copying other pupils’ work. Issues surrounding discipline, or the lack thereof, appear regularly throughout school records. Log books document punishments meted out and school board minutes record cases of pupils who were so persistently truant that compulsory officers were called in, rebuke being extended to their parents.
In the audio recording below, part of the www.ambaile.org.uk collections, a crofter from Canisbay, Caithness, recall being punished for hiding the teacher’s strap.
Audio credit: Highland Libraries.
In addition to ‘misdemeanours’ and ‘bad behaviour’, discipline was also administered for things we would actively encourage today, from left-handedness to speaking Gaelic at school. The impact of punishing these things has been long-lasting both for individuals and for society.
