Last week there was a bit in the national news about a 2020 Teacher of the Year slapping a youngster in the hallway. That poor schmo went from a Big Dog in Teaching circles to public enemy # 1 practically overnight.

side-note: This was more common than you might think! At an all-boys Catholic High school we saw ( and felt ) this kind of scene fairly often. Some of the clergymen teachers had their own personal favorite weapons for administering punishment. Size 12 Converse All-Stars or rather large wooden paddles were just 2 of the favorites at our school. The 1st day of school in our 9th grade algebra class a kid in the first row tried to test the instructor just minutes after we were given the rules – including Always raise your hand and get permission to speak. I’ll never forget the sharp and quick response – The teacher knocked that kid right out of his chair! That teacher didn’t get tested very often that year. ( And we learned a lot of Algebra! )