Punishment

Punishment has changed in the past 100 years in Tauriko.

In school this method was referred to by its formal title, corporal punishment. Children called it 'the cuts', this was when the teacher whacked the child’s hand with a leather strap or a wooden cane.

They had the strap in primary school and the cane in college. If you were really bad you would get six or so whacks with the strap. Mr Melville said the worse part of this punishment was the waiting as sometimes the teacher would forget about you so you spent a long time wondering how painful it would be.The teacher regularly beat children who did not perform well in tests.

At home for punishment the jam-spoon was often used to hit children.

I’m glad we don’t have the same punishment as Tauriko did 100 years ago.

By Brie and Riefe