Do You Remember These Old School Rules?
The 1950s and 1960s were different times in public education. Nobody had a phone, students learned off a chalkboard rather than a computer, people wrote in cursive with pens and pencils...things were "different", if not "better". This included how students were disciplined when they broke the rules. Here are some "old school" school rules that definitely wouldn't fly today.
Physical Discipline Was The Norm
Today, it is downright (rightfully) illegal to strike a child, but back in the day, physical discipline at school was to be expected. Stepped out of line? You might receive a clip around the ear. Worst case? You'd get the dreaded "cane" to the backside, sometimes in front of the entire class.
Irving Rusinow, Wikimedia Commons
First Outlawed In New Jersey In 1867
New Jersey had one of the first schools in the country to outlaw corporal punishment, doing away with the sort of physical abuse of students that came along with it in 1867, over 100 years before the next state, Massachusetts, did so in 1971.
Queensland figaro, Wikimedia Commons
Humiliation Was Also A Tactic
As we've mentioned above, getting your backside tanned in front of the entire class was, to put it mildly, humiliating. At worst, traumatizing. The humiliation angle of the punishment was also a tactic to force obedience. Humiliating a student in this way would certainly not be okay with parents today.
George Cruikshank, Wikimedia Commons
Only Skirts Or Dresses For The Girls
Despite the presence of school uniforms in many upper-class American schools and boys being required to wear pants, the same wasn't true of their female classmates. Skirts and dresses were the only allowed clothing for ladies. This dress code wasn't relaxed until the early 1970s in public education.
Boys' Hair Couldn't Be Any Longer Than The Beatles' Mop Top
It wasn't just the girls who had a fairly strict dress code. For boys, their hair couldn't be any longer than a few centimeters above their collar line. They were sent home otherwise and told not to come back until they'd had a haircut. Today? No parent would put up with a teacher telling their students to cut their hair to a certain length.
The Case Of Loren Evans
One young man in Wyoming, Loren Evans, was suspended for refusing to get a haircut. The University of Wyoming student body signed letters supporting the boy's rights and eventually, his suspension was rescinded. Evans' mother defended her son fiercely, "His hair is his declaration of independence. He will not give it up. I will not force him to”.
U. A. Saarinen, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Reading The Bible Or Reciting The Lord's Prayer Was Mandatory
Sure, you might think that the 1962 Supreme Court case of Engel v. Vitale, which struck down prayer in public schools, was the last word on the matter. But the fact is that many private schools (and public schools that thought they could get away with it) still forced students to recite the Lord's Prayer or read the Bible.
Ansel Adams, Wikimedia Commons
Gender-Segregated Classes
Gender-segregated classrooms were also the norm back in the 1960s; girls were taught home economics classes, while only the boys could learn woodworking or mechanical skills. Physical education classes were also taught in a gender-segregated manner. Modern parents have, thankfully, adopted a much more egalitarian mindset.
Queensland State Archives, Wikimedia Commons
Student Smoking Areas
While smoking in the school was still a no-no, one could simply light up in a designated area. Sometimes, the students and teachers even smoked together in the same place. Of course, now we're more aware of the dangers of smoking than they were in the 60s. We shudder to think what would have happened if our parents had caught us smoking...
Learning "Duck & Cover" Was Mandatory
Of course, this was the height of the Cold War, so it's no surprise that learning "duck and cover" was necessary. But most schools throughout the United States made the drill mandatory, such was the fear of a Soviet nuclear weapon detonating on US soil. Terrifying and traumatizing all at once.
Walter Albertin, Wikimedia Commons
No Quarter Was Given To Special Education Students
Some students learn differently. Today, that's a widely accepted fact of education. But back in the 1960s, that wasn't the case. Students who needed to learn in a different environment or be taught in a different way were often left behind by the education system. There wasn't the awareness or the inclination to help them—not until the "Education For All Handicapped Children Act" of 1975.
IPPA photographer, Wikimedia Commons
Citizenship Grading
You've heard of the phrase "model student"? Well, in the 1960s, this was a real thing. Students were graded based on their behavior, attitude and adherence to school rules and policies. Scoring negatively on your "school citizenship" grading could not only land you in serious trouble, but also affect your academic performance.
Warren K. Leffler, Wikimedia Commons
Uniform Inspections
Like you were in the military. Your teachers used to be able to inspect your uniforms for dirt, dust, wear and tear or signs of mistreatment. Your uniform wasn't up to snuff? You might be sent home for the day. No partially ripped jeans as a fashion statement allowed in the 1960s.
Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1864-1952, photographer, Wikimedia Commons
Reusable Water Bottles? Try A Water Fountain, Kid
The petri dish of school germs was the hallway water fountain. That was back in the 1970s, before the idea of carrying around plastic (and then eventually metal) water bottles became the norm. Taking a drink in class? Good luck with that request. Wait until lunchtime with the rest of your thirsty friends.
Russell Lee / Adam Cuerden, Wikimedia Commons
Writing With The Right Hand Only
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, writing with your right hand was commonly viewed in many schools as the only "proper" way to write. This meant that left-handed students were forced to write with their right hand, under pain of being rapped across the knuckles with a ruler (Ouch!). Of course, acceptance of left-handed writing has changed, but some people still experience difficulties as left-handed children at school.
Russell Lee, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Classes That Drove Home Gender Norms
In the 1960s, girls were forced to take home economics classes that taught them how to be "proper housewives". They had to learn how to do things like iron shirts, cook meals, and even set a formal dinner table. They were even graded on these things, including on how well they could bake a cake or hem a pair of pants.
Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided, Wikimedia Commons
Silent Lunch Periods
If your kids get to play basketball, soccer, or another sport at lunchtime in the gym, or even leave school property, or even to talk to their friends, then consider them lucky. In the 1950s and 60s, silent lunches were fairly common. Students were to eat and not be heard, and definitely not chew with their mouth open.
What Ridiculous Rules Did You Have In Your Schools?
Let us know what the ridiculous rules were in your schools growing up. Were you ever the victim of a teacher's wrath with the cane? A lefty who got their knuckles rapped with a ruler every time they wrote with their left hand? A chatty person at lunchtime who wound up in detention? Let us know in the comments!
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