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Punishment Writing

Who remembers the days when you got in trouble at school for talking in class. I got a paddling (or two) by teachers that caught me talking in class when I was told not too. We were afraid of our teachers and if you had to go the principles office, it was a really bad day. 

Several of my teachers would make us write sentences for punishment. If we were caught talking in class, we would have to write “I must not talk in class” a hundred times or more. What my teachers didn’t know is that I actually loved doing it. Yes, I enjoyed writing, so it was relaxing to me to get to write a sentence 100 times. If I messed up half way through, I would wad it up and start all over. If I was in a hurry, I could write three lines at a time by holding three pencils together. It was fun.


Once I had to write a sentence 200 times as punishment for chewing gum. “I must not chew gum in class”.  These were usually sent home as homework. When I turned in my work the next day, the teacher didn’t even count them! She just took the papers from me and ripped them into pieces and told me to have a seat. I was pretty upset about that because I had written them neatly and made sure I was not short one sentence. But thats how it went sometimes. 

Looking back, Even thought it was punishment, It was also a form of learning. It was a way to practice writing, following instructions, and owning up to what you did wrong. Though no harm was done in talking or chewing gum, it was a rule and discipline needed to take place. Now days kids get away with everything is class because teachers have no control. If a student is told to write sentences for punishment, they would probably consider it a form of abuse. 

What are some simple punishments you remember in school?