I am so grateful you survived that hellhole. The principal of my elementary school liked to take the paddle (a thick piece of wood with small holes in it to inflict more pain) into the lunch room during lunch where you could eat and should have been able to talk. Pound it on a table and yell QUIET NOW! Heaven help the child he thought was still talking, ripped from their seat and told to face the wall. The paddle came later.
In 6th grade I worked in the school kitchen, the 6th grade students put food on the kids food trays. The days we had mashed potatoes the principal was at the beginning of the line dishing out those potatoes at warp speed. I dreaded those days, Heaven help you if the line of trays got behind.
His temperament would have been better suited in the military are in prison, not with elementary students.
An actor specializing in playing psychopaths would have a field day playing this guy in a movie. He reminds me a lot of Wackford Squeers from Charles Dickens' "Nicholas Nickleby" (imagine your teacher but with a bullwhip and running his own private school).
Your past sounds like a nightmare! I'm so glad you turned out to be such a caring human being! Your story does explain why so many white are so angry. If this is how they grew up...
My experience is totally different, hearing yours really makes me want to be more understanding!
Thank you so much always challenge what you don’t understand and question what you don’t understand. It’s just a sign of intelligence as history repeats itself. We will always have bullies, but you have to stand up to them. I don’t care who you are.🎉🙌
Reading this makes me realize how fortunate I was to grow up in the NY metro area in the 90s. There was definitely violence among students, but I feel like the culture of defying authority was more influential than that of conforming. I don't remember any teachers touching kids, though some yelled at us to shut up, and they definitely left us to fend for ourselves and didn't do anything to protect us from each other. Thanks for opening my eyes to how oppressive and cultish it is.
The "training" received by Axle helps to explain the cruel, miserable energy behind MAGA support.
Yup, and honestly, it gets into your bones even if you're a sensitive soul like I like to think I am. Even now, at 50 years of age, I'm still trying to rework the wiring I got in my abusive rural town. I feel, though, that this is the problem of our era. Too often the liberal elites completely disregard the suffering of liberals who live in red areas. There's no outreach, there's no chance of making a better life. I barely made it out of there, and I'm very strong academically. But passing classes isn't enough. You've got to be able to merge with the lane headed to the future. Thanks for your comment Elizabeth!
I am a special educator. I moved to Georgia from the west coast 20 years ago. When I first arrived the principal was still spanking high school students for my first 5 years here.
I didn't know that the Don't Tread on Mr flag had a name. I wish they wouldn't use a snake as their symbol. It gives snakes a bad name. The (mostly) boys in my little brother's 1st grade class had to put up with corporal punishment from a nun who should have been retired. Mostly it was ruler smacks & hair pulling (it was a ground floor classroom). Yeah kids can get on your nerves but if you can't take the heat, get out of the classroom! One always hopes that the receiver of such punishment would be more compassionate towards others, alas, it often seems to do the opposite.
Fabulous entry. Thanks for exposing the myth of the fairytale small town and it's institutions. Every friend who grew up on such a place tells similar stories--the old school conservative, authoritarian lifestyle. Gee, isn't it great. Except it's not. It's just a cover for the bullying and lack of oversight that authoritarianism breeds. Trump grew up a bully and no one ever loved him enough to help him become an actualized person. So he remained a fighting, taunting, cruel bully. Bullies were nearly all bullied themselves, though it does not excuse them doing that to others. It just explains it. Now Axle supports the bully. He probably became one too. It's easier than admitting to the hurt and pain of his horrible childhood, and the additional horror of being thrown down the stairs by a teacher. Some people will do anything to avoid revisiting the vulnerability and nightmare of what happened to them. Excellent, moving story.
I am so grateful you survived that hellhole. The principal of my elementary school liked to take the paddle (a thick piece of wood with small holes in it to inflict more pain) into the lunch room during lunch where you could eat and should have been able to talk. Pound it on a table and yell QUIET NOW! Heaven help the child he thought was still talking, ripped from their seat and told to face the wall. The paddle came later.
In 6th grade I worked in the school kitchen, the 6th grade students put food on the kids food trays. The days we had mashed potatoes the principal was at the beginning of the line dishing out those potatoes at warp speed. I dreaded those days, Heaven help you if the line of trays got behind.
His temperament would have been better suited in the military are in prison, not with elementary students.
The tragic part is that attitude is celebrated in many quarters to this day. We need to discuss how deplorable it truly is.
I remember kids getting that wooden paddle even n high school back in the 60's. Terrible thing
An actor specializing in playing psychopaths would have a field day playing this guy in a movie. He reminds me a lot of Wackford Squeers from Charles Dickens' "Nicholas Nickleby" (imagine your teacher but with a bullwhip and running his own private school).
Or Trenchbull from Matilda :)
Yes.
Your past sounds like a nightmare! I'm so glad you turned out to be such a caring human being! Your story does explain why so many white are so angry. If this is how they grew up...
My experience is totally different, hearing yours really makes me want to be more understanding!
I think a lot of people who grew up in rural areas have an experience like this. I think it explains a lot of the cruelty in the USA today.
Thank you so much always challenge what you don’t understand and question what you don’t understand. It’s just a sign of intelligence as history repeats itself. We will always have bullies, but you have to stand up to them. I don’t care who you are.🎉🙌
Poor Alex. In more ways than one.
Yeah, he's still living up there, probably a block from that school.
Wow!
Reading this makes me realize how fortunate I was to grow up in the NY metro area in the 90s. There was definitely violence among students, but I feel like the culture of defying authority was more influential than that of conforming. I don't remember any teachers touching kids, though some yelled at us to shut up, and they definitely left us to fend for ourselves and didn't do anything to protect us from each other. Thanks for opening my eyes to how oppressive and cultish it is.
The "training" received by Axle helps to explain the cruel, miserable energy behind MAGA support.
Yup, and honestly, it gets into your bones even if you're a sensitive soul like I like to think I am. Even now, at 50 years of age, I'm still trying to rework the wiring I got in my abusive rural town. I feel, though, that this is the problem of our era. Too often the liberal elites completely disregard the suffering of liberals who live in red areas. There's no outreach, there's no chance of making a better life. I barely made it out of there, and I'm very strong academically. But passing classes isn't enough. You've got to be able to merge with the lane headed to the future. Thanks for your comment Elizabeth!
I am a special educator. I moved to Georgia from the west coast 20 years ago. When I first arrived the principal was still spanking high school students for my first 5 years here.
I didn't know that the Don't Tread on Mr flag had a name. I wish they wouldn't use a snake as their symbol. It gives snakes a bad name. The (mostly) boys in my little brother's 1st grade class had to put up with corporal punishment from a nun who should have been retired. Mostly it was ruler smacks & hair pulling (it was a ground floor classroom). Yeah kids can get on your nerves but if you can't take the heat, get out of the classroom! One always hopes that the receiver of such punishment would be more compassionate towards others, alas, it often seems to do the opposite.
Fabulous entry. Thanks for exposing the myth of the fairytale small town and it's institutions. Every friend who grew up on such a place tells similar stories--the old school conservative, authoritarian lifestyle. Gee, isn't it great. Except it's not. It's just a cover for the bullying and lack of oversight that authoritarianism breeds. Trump grew up a bully and no one ever loved him enough to help him become an actualized person. So he remained a fighting, taunting, cruel bully. Bullies were nearly all bullied themselves, though it does not excuse them doing that to others. It just explains it. Now Axle supports the bully. He probably became one too. It's easier than admitting to the hurt and pain of his horrible childhood, and the additional horror of being thrown down the stairs by a teacher. Some people will do anything to avoid revisiting the vulnerability and nightmare of what happened to them. Excellent, moving story.