Were you glad or sad to be leaving school?

Jeez Purple, that's the worst horror story I've heard about school. I had a teacher who used to put 50p's in the leather strap in Primary so it would hurt more.

My teacher was so stupid he put in a ten shilling note.
 
Glad to see the back of the places, both primary and secondary, primary school being a brutal and vicious memory, I think back and only recalll two teachers who should have been let near children, 2nd and 4th class.
Dont keep in contact with anyone but would bump into people
 
Wow Purple, Id actually blocked out my worst memory of school and reading your post reminded me.

I was in a religious orders school up to 10 years of age - some of the nuns were vicious.

I have a very clear memory of about 7 years old and needing to use the loo, and the teacher not allowing me to go out to it. Then I was sent to the principal for being disruptive (squirming about needing to go to the loo). The principal was a nun. She deduced the issue and told me she was busy and would deal with me when ready and I was left, still needing the loo (badly at this stage with fright as well), to sit and wait for her to discipline me for what seemed like a long long time.

By the time she returned to deal with me I was in a state of terror and distress and pain from the need to use the loo. She grabbed me off the chair by the arm and started to whallop me on the behind. Naturally enough, my bladder let go and I wet myself - and her hand. This prompted a roar of almighty proportions about what a dirty dirty little girl I was and a fairly serious whalloping. I actually became so frightened I fainted. I came to on the floor of her office and she pushed me into a chair and told me to wait for my parents. I was scared, dizzy, wet, uncomfortable and sore. Just before my mother arrived she thrust a lollipop into my hands and told me to eat it. My mother arrived, Im sitting sucking a lollipop and to this day I will never forget that monstrous evil woman telling her that I must be ill, I had fainted and wet myself, so she had brought me to the office to recover and given me a lolly for sugar.

All this accompanied by her glaring at me behind my mothers back (and my mother being highly respectful of the church simply believing the nun).

I dont think I ever let on what had happened, I was too scared and sure, nuns dont lie eh?

Luckily we moved and at age 10 I went to a school that didnt have cruel dried up old frustrated horrors of humans as staff. Memories from 10 on are good.
 
Some nasty memories of school on here.

I can remember some unpleasant, sarcastic teachers but nothing sadistic. When I was in baby school corporal punishment was still allowed and I remember getting a few wallops with a ruler. However, mostly you were just made to stand at the wall if you were bold.

Secondary school was fine. Only one really bad tempered nun who actually left the convent later so she was obviously just unhappy and frustrated and didn't have a vocation so was living the wrong kind of life for her.
 
Jeez, I starting to feel like I had some kind of priviliged schooling, in a bog-standard Christian Brothers school. I enjoyed 90% of school life and school time. Most teachers were good, and a few were exceptionally brilliant. I remember the young male teachers I had in 4th class and 5th class in particular as creative, warm, inspirational, engaging and fun.

The only dark side of primary was the bully of a principal who felt it appropriate to slap the 7-year-old 2nd class me across the face for the offence of going out to the loo (with the class teachers permission) shortly after the lunch break. I should have avoided this by going at lunchtime apparently. I set my protective Irish Mammy on him, and he never crossed me again. I also remember the 6th class teacher who was actually a fairly good teacher, but was well known for getting a bit 'too friendly' at times. We didn't see this as particularly abnormal or wrong at the time, but we knew to do whatever it takes not to get too close to him if called up to his desk.

Most secondary teachers were good. One or two were very 'old school' and ruled through fear, which was generally effective. One or two clearly had significant mental health issues, so (I'm kind-of ashamed to say) that we exploited them shamelessly. Our Leaving Cert Hons Maths teacher was dreadful, so we kept up with help from the Applied Maths teacher and grinds.

The craic and camaderie was generally very good. I remember one bad case of bullying of one classmate in 6th class, but apart from that, it was generally very civilised.

I don't think I've ever worked so hard for anything as I did for my Leaving Cert exams.
 

I remember getting walloped by my national school teacher from 2nd to 4th class (country school with 3 teachers). She was well able to use the stick but only used it when it was deserved and was a great teacher. When she retired a few years ago, her leaving do was like a village reunion with most of her past pupils turning up to wish her well. There would have been no point in complaining to my parents as they'd have said I probably deservered it. Times change, friend of mine is a teacher and was told to F off by a pupil one day, he complained to the parents only to be told it was his own fault and he deserved it.

I remember a secondry school teacher who we all gave a hard time to, years later I worked with his grand-daughter, have to say, I was a bit embarrassed, things have a way of catching up with you.
 
I remember getting walloped by my national school teacher from 2nd to 4th class (country school with 3 teachers). She was well able to use the stick but only used it when it was deserved and was a great teacher.
Just to clarify, there was fairly liberal use of corporal punishment - usually the leather strap - right through primary and in the early years of secondary. The speciality of the vice-principal in secondary was to fire the wooden duster from the board down your direction if your attention was drifting. Sure who cares if you get it in the eye.
 

Had another teacher who loved banging pupils heads together. Ah, these public sector workers (sorry, couldn't resist !!)
 
We had one nutter geography teacher who just seethed angry vibes, He used to lob the duster too, atho corporal punishment was banned in my school. I heard later that he used to moonlight as a bouncer. No surprise really. All that said, his class was remarkably quiet and well-ordered!
 
We had one very strict teacher in primary and he was our best teacher. I remember one day (after lunch I think) we he came into the room and slammed the door shouting about some "fool of a minister doing away with corporal punishment" He was livid and we were all good little children!!