Paddled at school

The denizens of countless vanilla discussion boards pass the time swapping anecdotes, opinions, advice. But sooner or later, one of the residents posts the inevitable – sparked by some passing comment, a particular date on the calendar, the sight in the shopping mall of a certain of her former teachers: “Did you get whacked at school?”

One such debate recently brought forth an outpouring of recollections, as the (largely female) community confessed their shameful secrets: yes, they had been called before their principals to be punished.

One young lady from Carolina clearly winced at the memory. Towards the end of her school career, she’d been required to get a parental signature on some form or other. Although she was a good and bright girl, she forgot, being rather absent-minded. So too did some of her friends, so their teacher gave them a second chance – but warned that anyone forgetting this time would be paddled. And when she arrived empty-handed the following morning, the teacher was as good as his word, and despatched her to see the principal to be punished – and this in a school in which the paddling of girls was almost unknown.

The real-life me feels sorry for her, of course. Kinky me can’t help but be fascinated by the example of a good girl in trouble.