An Unforgetable and Unforgivable Incident at Ardrossan Acade

[scottyd]

Please see below an extract from the Ardrossan Academy website.

An Unforgetable and Unforgivable Incident at Ardrossan Academy in 1944

My name is John Ronald Tapp and I was born in 1930. I attended Ardrossan Academy from 1937 until 1945. For the most part, my time at the Academy was very enjoyable with the exception of this one incident that occurred in 1944 which has stuck in my craw since that time This was 1944 long before D day and it happened not only to myself but also to John Watson who was my closest friend. John is no longer with us but I am sure that he would fully support me in the disclosure of this incident.

John and I were sauntering home from school as we were wont to do, discussing the events of the day, girls, soccer ( fitba' ) and current war events. On checking my books, I noticed that my French textbook was missing. Since we were just outside the school gates, we decided to go back and retrieve it as it was needed for homework that evening. We re-entered the school and retrieved my textbook from a desk in Mr Brown's room and left, thinking no more about it.

Next morning, John and I were summoned to the headmaster's office where Mr Pennell eventually came to meet us and took us out into the corridor adjoining his office. The facts were clearly laid out to us the someone had seriously vandalised Mr Brown's office and we had been seen in Mr Brown's office after hours. We explained the reason for our visit to Mr Brown's office but we were declared guilty. No matter how much we protested, it was all in vain.

" Big " Bill Boyd was sent for and was to be the administrator of justice in the form of the strap. His prowess in afflicting " justice " preceded him. John and I were subjected to six excruciatingly painful flails of the strap on each hand. Now we were between a rock and a hard place as none of this punishment must come to light at home. Parents at that time were under the mistaken impression that the school could do no wrong and any revelation in this regard could result in more punishment.

To conclude this deplorable story, I blame The Rector, Mr Pennell for being so pig-headed and inflexible. To me, it has taken a weight off my shoulders now that I have revealed the true facts and for the record, as GOD is my witness, neither John or I had anything to do with the vandalism that took place in Mr Brown's room that fateful day.


J. R.( Ron) Tapp, P Eng.
Retired Civil Engineer.

For those of us who ever experienced unfair corporal punishment this must bring a tear to our eyes.

I have to say that no matter who we feel about modern day behaviour this is regrettable.

[morag]

Parents at that time were under the mistaken impression that the school could do no wrong and any revelation in this regard could result in more punishment.

Says it all. However, what doesn't kill you etc. I'm sure many of us were unfairly punished whether it be from untrue bad behaviour reports to simply not being smart enough. How is it conceivable to strap a child for an inability to spell? The times I cringed when a nice but maybe wee bit 'slower' schoolmate was punished so. Oh, I got the strap often enough, usually for not paying attention (bored)the teachers should have got the strap for not making the subject more interesting! Still, we took it as par for the course, and right enough there'd be Hell to pay if your parents found out!

[peterm1711]

I read the post wrong, thinking, "where the hell was the arcade in Ardrossan?"

Anyway........

Unfortunately, the above incident was not all that rare in schooldays gone by.

I myself recall receiving the belt on two separate occasions, and I was honestly not guilty of any wrong-doing, and as the OP states, that sticks in MY craw too!

My fingers winded up like a bunch of bananas for someone else's mis-deeds.

The odd time I DID deserve it, though I must say, it never happened all that often.

However, it just wasn't 'the done thing' to grass the real culprits.

It was somehow just accepted these things would happen on a regular, even daily, basis.

...and whilst some teachers, AKA sadists, were 'just too handy' at dishing out punishment, I feel the worst thing they ever did was scrap the belt.

I can only speak for myself, but in my day, pupils were far less likely to cause hassle or trouble in school. Nowadays, discipline has gone out the window, and as a result, society in general has went downhill, with very little respect anywhere.

I'm also very aware discipline begins at home, but it's needed in school too, but it's just not there any more.

No doubt some folks will disagree, but that's my honest opinion.

[Milda]

I was sent to Mc Farlane,the headmaster at the time in the Academy,for the strap.The reason, dumb insolence,I gave the teacher a dirty look. He made me sit down and cross my hands over my knees ,so that if I pulled my hands away my legs would have got it.

[scottyd]

I remember a Frecnh teacher at the Academy - can't remember her name - but she was an evangelical christian who gave me the belt once because I said I hadn't been to church ! That story is true but I am struglling to believe it could have actually happened !
As for the modern day discipline and the lack of physical punishment, if you really think it works then why stop at the belt. Let's bring it back and add the birch, cutting off the hands of thieves, castrating sexual offenders and all those other instruments of effective justice..................

[peterm1711]

I remember a Frecnh teacher at the Academy - can't remember her name - but she was an evangelical christian who gave me the belt once because I said I hadn't been to church ! That story is true but I am struglling to believe it could have actually happened !
As for the modern day discipline and the lack of physical punishment, if you really think it works then why stop at the belt. Let's bring it back and add the birch, cutting off the hands of thieves, castrating sexual offenders and all those other instruments of effective justice..................

Yep.....let's go for this one.

Anybody touched MY daughters, I'd do it myself.

[Meg]

Let's bring it back and add the birch, cutting off the hands of thieves, castrating sexual offenders and all those other instruments of effective justice..................

Dont remember any of these forms of punishment Scottyd - but then, I went to Winton ......

Meg

[Alexmac442]

Second atempt to post this!!
I remember getting the belt a few times at the Academy but mosty for my sins. The only time I resented it was from Mr Tait, the music teacher, who gave it automatically for being late, no matter what the reason.
I can only remember one French teacher, Jill Coombes, a very fat but very lovely lady but I can't ever remember her giving the belt to anyone. Anyone remember her?
Alex

[Milda]

Yes Alex,I remember Jill Coombes,I hope David doesn't mean her. I remember Mr Tait's strap ,it was called Charlie,every time he threatened it ,he would play Charlie is my darling ,Thankfully I didn' t get hit with that one .

[John Donnelly]

Harry Leishman, woodwork teacher at St. Micks, used to put the fear of God into the first-year pupils on their first day by putting a bit of wood on the workbench and splitting it by giving it a whack with his Lochgelly. He never had much trouble in his classes.

I wasn't a model student by any stretch of the imagination, and I often felt the weight of various teachers' belts. At the end of the day, I suppose it didn't do me any harm, though I resented the gung-ho, shoot from the hip, attitude of most of them.

Only on one occasion was I provoked to lay hands on any of our brood, and that was only to grab him by the lapels and shove him into the corner and warn him never to try that again.

I'm glad it's been done away with, but they haven't replaced it by any other effective method of sanction. We still need sanctions. I'm glad I don't have to come up with the solution.

Our method at home seemes to have worked. We turned out two well-balanced, socially-functioning, happy men, who have remained in long-term relationships and are in the process of repeating the experiment for themselves.

I've said to Ria several time, 'God knows what we did to them, but it seems to have worked.'

JD.

[Alexmac442]

Milda., Whatever happened to Jill Coombes, I heard she died quite young, hope it's not true but do you ar anyone know?
Alex

[Meg]

I'm glad it's been done away with, but they haven't replaced it by any other effective method of sanction. We still need sanctions. I'm glad I don't have to come up with the solution.

Unfortunately JD, there isn't any one effective method - it is up to each teacher to find their own way using a school's behaviour policy. Must admit, humour does it for me most times, but once or twice round about this time of year with the primary 7's, I have had to battle to keep control, and it is knackering at the end of the school day. Once a child knows that they dont have to do whatever they are being asked/told to do, it is just a battleground and the strongest will survives