No one gives a schoolmaster credit for all the decisions he must make every day. These are critical matters: the wrong choice could effect a youngster for the rest of his life. I take such choices seriously and devote a great deal of time to research and analysis.
For instance, last week Ricky Davenport was sent to me for slovenly dress. He's a small boy, only 13 years of age. There was no question that he deserved to be punished. Even he, standing modestly before me with head bowed, seemed to agree that I should deal with him sternly. The only question was the method.
Our school believes strongly in corporal punishment. I am authorised to punish boys with nearly any implement I feel appropriate. I use the traditional hairbrush and slipper, a small wooden paddle, a larger leather one, a long leather strap, and, of course, the cane and birch.
Selecting the implement and deciding the severity of the punishment are key choices I face every day. I take into account the type of crime, the past history of the culprit, and most importantly, the nature of the boy's body. Contrary to popular belief, not all boys should be punished the same way for the same crime. It might seem unfair on paper, but in reality it is more equitable. Boys have different personalities and body types -- treating them identically would be the real unfairness.
Ricky, as I have mentioned, is a small boy. His bottom is very small and tight. The cane would be unduly cruel to such narrow, firm buttocks. There just isn't the surface area to spread the blows properly. Paddles require a plumper backside, else they bruise the muscle beneath the flesh. Therefore I was limited to a few choices: the tawse and my hand.
The leather strap would work well -- it stings the surface -- but I felt it a bit severe for such a minor offence. Instead, to re-emphasise Ricky's naughtiness of slovenly dress, I made him disrobe completely before me. Then, tiny and naked, he laid himself across my lap for a long and most thorough bottom-slapping. I painted his little cheeks and the backs of his legs crimson, and then had him stand with nose in the corner for an hour, warning him that we weren't finished yet. He had to wait for the rest of he punishment, naked and sore, and knowing that any moment I might call him over for another dose. I continued with my regular work while he waited. Several people -- my secretary and a couple students -- visited my office during the break. I did not modify my schedule in any manner. We ignored little Ricky in the corner, though I know the students couldn't fail to notice he there, nor he them. I thought the shame would do he some good. When I later had him over my lap, my palm cupping he delicate haunches, he was already weeping in contrition. The final spanking certainly taught him a strong lesson, and proved my decision in using my hand a wise one. It was an intimate punishment, humiliating and yet safe and secure, not cold and impersonal like the cane can be.
For example, a couple months ago I had to cane Andrew French. He's an arrogant brat if there ever was one. I must see him several times a term, usually for the cane. He needs you to acknowledge his appeal via a look or change in expression. For him, I knew it would hurt him more for me to remain cold and impersonal. So the caning was conducted with scarcely any conversation or kindness on my part. It was simply, "Bend over, French." Once he was in positions, trousers round his ankles, I flipped his shirt up and jerked down his pants immediately, and quickly began the caning. Every crack of the cane across his haunches sounded very loud indeed, for the force I used was unusually hard, and the welts that blossomed stood out boldly against the pale flesh. But Andrew's got a stubborn streak: he didn't bat an eye until the seventh stroke, despite his obvious pain. When I continued after eight, he broke down, shuddering and moaning in misery. His broad buttocks were streaked with thick purple & red weals when I finished the dozen. He had certainly been well-punished.
The decisions are not always easy ones, but I have learned from experience. In my early days as headmaster I made many mistakes. One time three boys were sent to my office for truancy. On paper the offence demanded the cane, so that's what I used. Six strokes for each boy. In retrospect, I regretted my decision. The youngest of the three boys, Mark Packard, had never been in trouble in his life. He'd made a mistake associating with Kyle Blanchard and Melvin Ruddon, that was certain, but I don't believe he deserved the cane. A bare bottomed hand-spanking would have done just as much good in he case. Caning him was like killing flies with a shotgun.
The shape, size, and texture of a boy's bottom is also crucial in the decision-making process. I am most surprised that so many of my colleagues fail to take such vital information into consideration when deciding punishments.
Larger, plumper bottoms are ideal for slippering and paddling. This is important, because for certain personalities it is the extent of the punishment that causes the most aversion, not the severity of pain. I once gave a forty minute hairbrush spanking to Liam Mason. He's a full-bodied, 14 year old boy, with a large round bum that was made to be smacked. During a rebellious period he'd earned several hard canings, but he took these with scarcely a blink. I tell you, when a boy can take a dozen from me and not shed a tear, he's made of iron! Finally I wised up and saw that the canings were over too quickly for them to have much impact on the boy. So, after a twenty minute warm-up with my hand, I switched to a stout hairbrush and paddled that boy until he was putty across my lap! He sobbed until there were no tears left, and when he departed, I knew he wasn't coming back soon. (It was a year before I had occasion to punish him again.)
Not many boys have a bottom like Liam's, that could take such an extended spanking. In his case there was plenty of acreage for me to spread the blows, and a generous amount of padding so the hairbrush didn't do much bruising. For boys with less full bottoms but still needing an extended dosage, I recommend the slipper or a short strap. Those sting the surface of the skin but don't penetrate, allowing for lengthy punishments.
Don't forget other punishment areas. Many times I've seen a boy with a slender, narrow bottom but long legs. The small bottom limits your choices of implements, but the thighs offer plenty of punishment area and the skin is especially sensitive. Even the calves can be effectively lashed with a light cane or riding crop. I once used that method on Chris Grover after he'd been sent to me two days in succession. After the first two sessions his tiny 12 year old buttocks and slender thighs were thoroughly strapped and welted. I hesitated to punish them again, for further beating might cause serious injury. But the naughty boy certainly was begging for discipline and I didn't want to delay. So I caned him, six to each palm, then used the strap and crop across the back of his calves. He was a thoroughly thrashed boy when he left my study.
The positioning of a boy for punishment is also vital. We are all aware of the ideal spanking bottom that's so firm, plump, and rounded that nearly any position works. For scrawny or flat bottoms, however, the traditional over-the-lap or touching-the-toes positions are not the best.
An important bottom characteristic, for instance, is what I call the jut. A bottom that juts is one that protrudes noticeably from the thighs without any effort on the part of the boy. A jutting bottom offers more surface area than a flat bottom. More surface area means a more extended spanking is possible. Boys that don't have the ideal spanking bottom, however, can be bent into a position that maximizes whatever jut he has.
Some boys need to be leaning forward more than being upright -- across a desk might be a good position. Other boys might need to be flat on their belly. I have done several with the boy stretched across a davenport or piano bench. For some boys even that isn't enough. A technique that works wonders is the upside down position. In this, the boy is made to either stand on his hands or head, or lie back on a sofa with he legs high and straight above him. This causes any extra flesh of he bottom to pull down toward he lower back, resulting in a plumper bottom. It also is an uncomfortable and awkward position; quite humiliating for a naughty young lad!
For a strapping a good position is kneeling on the hands and knees with the bottom thrust out behind him. This curves the buttocks and exposes more flesh for punishment and is wonderful for the strap as it can make extended contact with large areas of skin. It is most effective if you stand near the boy's head and bring the strap down from over your shoulder. Not only do you get considerable movement for some fearsome strikes of the leather, but the long strap connects with bottom _and_ thigh with every stroke!
The most humiliating position for a boy is lying on he back with he legs spread wide and pulled over his head. I use this rarely, and only on the occasions where I feel I have no choice. The boy is dreadfully exposed: you have full access to he bottom and all sides of his thighs and legs. . In this position nearly every instrument works, from the hand to the cane, but I prefer to use the lighter implements and allow the punishment to come from the humiliation rather than the pain.
I once disciplined two boys this way. They were Robert Dayheart and Jamie Morton. Both were senior boys. They were 15 years old, with mature round bottoms, and generally good students. But they'd been caught with drugs and technically my only choice was to expell them. Since they rarely caused trouble, however, I offered them severe corporal punishment instead, and they both accepted. Note that I didn't mince words -- I told them exactly the position they would be required to take and the punishments I would administer. I gave them two hours to decide, and they agreed to my terms.
I began with two ordinary spankings: bare bottomed with my hand. The boys were naked and blushing, but they had felt nothing yet. Next they assumed the position, each on a separate table, legs spread and everything exposed. I spanked them each some more, then began a thorough paddling with the slipper. I whacked their bums, thighs (both inside and out), and calves. This process took nearly an hour, and both boys were extremely uncomfortable when I began with the strap.
I used a light strap, for I wanted the severity of the punishment to be one of scope, not flash. The strapping took another hour, with me going from boy to boy and focusing on individual body parts. By the time I put down the strap, both boys were begging me to stop. Though the strapping hadn't been that severe, it had been most thorough, with hardly any exposed flesh neglected.
After a half hour of rest standing in opposite corners, the boys got back into position. I warmed their behinds with a big paddle, then finished with eighteen strokes of the cane. I laid down parallel strokes from the top of the bottom to the back of the knees. Robert earned two extras for releasing his legs during the caning.
The punishment was quite successful: I never had to punish either of the boys for anything serious again (though excessive tardiness did cause Robert to end up over my lap for a mild spanking and paddling later that year).
There have been a few times when my methods have failed me. Once four boys were caught off grounds smoking and were sent to my office. Three of the boys were older ones, two familiar trouble-makers. Both David and Michael were 14 and had tasted my cane before so I didn't hesitate to stripe their bare bottoms most diligently. Kyle had never been sent to me before, but once I saw the stocky figure, with his pert bottom straining to burst out of his regulation grey schoolboy shorts, I knew it was the cane for him. He was quickly bent over the desk, bottom bare, for his thrashing. He took it well, and though I gave him the same dozen strokes I gave the first two boys, I didn't cane him as hard. His little bottom was still well marked with purple and red weals, though, as he rose red-faced from the desk. Little Martin, however, was a deacon's son. He had never been caned or been in trouble, and as he was a petite boy with a rather small behind, I gave he a long spanking and hairbrushing instead. This left the tiny 11 year old with very red bottom cheeks and in tears.
All four boys were suitably chastised when they departed, and I thought that was the end of it. To my surprise Martin showed up at my door a week later, crying.
"What's the matter?" I asked, bringing him into my office and closing the door.
"Please, sir, I was wondering... I was wondering..."
"Well, spit it out, boy! I haven't got all day!"
He wiped tears from his face and took a deep breath. "Would you please cane me, sir."
In all my years I'd never had a request like that!
"Come again?"
"Cane me, sir!" he said boldly. "You caned Michael and David and Kyle, but you didn't cane me. The others... they're making fun of me."
"Well I can put a stop to that," I began, but the boy stopped me.
"No, sir! Please don't do that! They are right -- I got off easy last week. It wasn't fair. I deserved to be punished the same as them."
"A hairbrushing from me is no mean punishment," I said. "You were well punished."
He shook he head. He was a stubborn little boy. "No, sir, it's not the same. They all got to compare marks, to feel united in their punishment. I'm alone now. Even when they're nice to me, I can see it in their eyes: they don't respect me. They think I got off easy."
"So you think a caning will get you back in their good graces, eh?" Little Martin nodded. "Hmmm. Not a bad plan, but rathe hard on you. You get a hairbrushing plus a caning -- that's worse than them."
"That's okay, sir. I don't mind."
"Well I can hardly cane you for no reason, boy."
"Sir, if you don't cane me I shall do something... something awful, and then you'll _have_ to cane me." The boy's eyes sparkled as he pleaded with me. "Please, sir? Say you'll do it? I don't want to misbehave, but I will if I have too."
So I caned Martin. I didn't go gentle, either. I gave he six hard strokes that left juicy marks for him to show his friends, and I told him to tell them that six plus the hairbrushing was equal in punishment to the dozen the others had got. It wasn't, of course. It was much worse, but the caning seemed to satisfy Martin and he went off to find his friends.
I resolved in the future to take such a possibilty into account when administering seemingly unequal punishments. (My usual solution is to punish a portion of the group differently. For instance, if I'd spanked Kyle instead of caning him, Martin wouldn't have been alone in receiving a different punishment.)
You can see that these decisions are incredibly important and cannot be made lightly. Today I've got two boys, Simon and Melvyn, standing in corners waiting to be punished. They were caught pinching sweets from the school store, and that merits serious discipline. I've punished them both before, too. But their body types are opposite: Simon's thin and scrawny, with a small, hard bottom, while Melvyn is heavier with a big round behind.
I squint and stare at their naked bottoms as I try to devise equitable punishments. Too much caning is awkward for Simon's small butt, so I must supplement. I'm thinking over-the-knee spankings and slipperings followed by a dose of the strap across the bare legs and six strokes of the cane to the bottom. Perhaps I'll add a few strokes of the tawse to the hands as a symbolic gesture to not touch things you don't own.
More stories by Rod Birch