What have children had to endure in schools in the past?

 Children were sometimes forced to kneel on dry peas.

This was common around the time of the world wars, including in Germany. It was meant to break children’s will.

Some punishments used by teachers were extremely cruel. There is even a real photo of a girl who recently experienced this punishment at school. The photo shows her knees, not her fingers, even though it may look that way.

Today, this kind of punishment still exists in some parts of China and the Philippines.

Another punishment was called “the paws.”

This meant hitting a child’s outstretched hand.

It was not fully banned until 1980.

Teachers used sticks made of willow or hazelnut wood to hit the palm or fingers. Hitting the fingertips was considered especially painful.

This punishment was often used instead of hitting children on the buttocks and was used more often on girls.

Usually, a child received two to five hits, but there was no real limit. Because of this, many children ended up with swollen hands and could not write properly afterward.

For that reason, the left hand was usually punished. Children were expected to write only with their right hand.

Afterward, they were often made to stand in the corner.

I remember seeing children stand in the corner. It did not happen to me, but I saw it happen to others.

When the stick became old or worn out, a new one was needed. Sometimes the children had to go outside and find a stick themselves.

Teachers believed it was educational that the child had to hold out their hand “voluntarily.” They thought this would build willpower and self-control by forcing the child to overcome their natural fear.

If a child pulled their hand away, the punishment was made worse.

These are just a few examples.

The sad part is that many older people grew up with teachers like this. Even after beating children was banned, those teachers often continued to humiliate them.