Speaker: ... one man teacher, which I hated. ... every time I made a mistake, I'd get the strap. A spelling mistake, every spelling test, every s-- I got a s-- whack on my hands for every mistake I made.

Ah, Miss-Howards in grade two, I got the strap for the first time, well, the only time, for playing with plasticine in my hand- my homework hadn't been handed in yet. Very strong disciplinarian.

They had the strap when ah- at the ah- well I was at Lauriel (sp) like the first couple of years. I didn't- I didn't like using it though.

I had to use it once 'cause the principal (laughs) forced me to use it. And I only give one little slap in each hand and not even th-- not much force 'cause I did- I said I did- "I don't want to strap him." "You- that's your responsibility. You got to do it. You brought the kid to the office." But I only had to use it once and I- I didn't like it.

Interviewer: Yeah, what would they do to discipline you? Speaker: Well, stay in at recess. ... That was our punishment. ... Interviewer: Oh, so they didn't have the strap. Speaker: No, that hurt worst than the strap because then you didn't get outside to play (laughs).

But I'll never forget the humiliation of- and the frustration of knowing that it didn't matter how long I went through that garbage, I was never going to find that note so that was just some of the little punishments that we did. But at least she never strapped anybody.

Everybody was on the same page. Teacher, parent, you get your ass kicked. Two angles, you-know? ... And then they had the strap when I was in school too. ... You got sent to the office, you pulled out your hand, they pulled out this big leather strap and (non-lexical sound, 'paf')

You-know you thought, "Mm, if I do that, I'm going to get in trouble at home, trouble with the teacher, go to the office and get the strap ... n-- I don't I'm going to do that."

Interviewer: We heard stories about ah the strap you'd keep in your back pocket. Speaker: No, I sometimes carried that around. ... It was quick to do something when somebody hit somebody going in the door, it's quicker to get them one crack with the strap when they open their palm than to go into (inc) and it- the boys thought this was great, you-see? Because ah you got strapped and you didn't- nothing. Well, it wasn't anything either, you weren't out to kill them or-anything.

So, no I ah- strapping died out considerably ah, i-- was a real way of disciplining way back when I first started, but ah it- it die, it ah- you-know? Actually the people that can make the big change in the kids is the parents if they want to, but unfortunate the parents have done nothing and the kid has gone to school.

Interviewer: We heard stories about ah the strap you'd keep in your back pocket. Speaker: No, I sometimes carried that around. ... It was quick to do something when somebody hit somebody going in the door, it's quicker to get them one crack with the strap when they open their palm than to go into (inc) and it- the boys thought this was great, you-see? Because ah you got strapped and you didn't- nothing. Well, it wasn't anything either, you weren't out to kill them or-anything.

I was a real good speller, but for one re-- I don't know what happened one day. So we were having a spelling-bee and I had seven mistakes and she gave me the strap (laughs). ... And you got it. You-know you put your hand out and she'd hit you with that leather strap they had then.

Interviewer: Was that the only time you ever got the strap? Speaker: Yes.... My brother used to get it quite often (laughs). ... He had a different teacher. ... she was really cross and ah, he used to get the strap every once and a while.

Interviewer: Do you remember any class clowns in elementary school? Speaker: Not really. Interviewer: You guys were pretty well behaved? Speaker: We had to be. That was the day of the strap

Interviewer: Really? We've been hearing so many stories about the strap. ... Someone told us that b-- girls didn't get the strap, is that true? ... Speaker: Girls got the strap, same as the boys. ... I was fearful.

... they were so disruptive and a few times- in those days the strap was used in the schools. And ah couple of times these kids- there were two twins in particular and oh they were hell-raisers. So I reported them to the principal and the principal came into the class with his strap and of course he laid it on and I'm sure the dust flew out of the back- blackboard. I felt so badly for them but ah then the kids turned around and said, "Oh, that's nothing. The way I get beat at home with a board." (Laughs)

Interviewer: How- how would they discipline you, like if you did something wrong? How- what would they do? Speaker: Well then, the strap (laughs). ... They used to (inc) the strap then, a great big thing like this. And if you- if you would have stepped out of line, they would ah call you up and you get the strap in front ...

... we had to have a teacher replaced, so she filled in for six months. [0:15:17.6] ... She wasn't going to have any- any spoiled kids so I got the strap the first week she took over.

She was a principal. ... if she wasn't smiling, she had- she- she made- she'd have some pretty bad characters coming into her office, and then it was ah, like, you-know, the strap was used, eh?

Interviewer: Did you ever get in trouble with her? Speaker: Pretty close a few times, but no, never with her. ... Um, later in high-school I got- but no prin-- no straps then, they weren't allowed.