We- you-know I- I heard of, you-know more typically boys being sent to the office for the afternoon and maybe their parents being called but never anybody coming back saying I got the strap.

... nobody ever, ever, ever answered back a teacher in the classes I was in. I don't ever remember anybody- actually, we got straps though too, when we were in public-school. I got the strap from that principal because um he wasn't in the classroom yet, so I was turned around talking to my friend behind me and we weren't supposed to talk ... We were supposed to stay quiet and do our work. But of-course, I like to talk, so I would talk to my friend and I got the strap for-Pete's-sakes. I thought, "Heavenly, I didn't do anything wrong!" I didn't ah- I never told my parents I got the strap, because if I had gone home and said I got the strap for talking, I'd probably get another one at home. So I just stayed quiet.

But those days, any little thing you did wrong in public-school, you had to go to the principal and he'd give you about three smacks on each hand with that crazy strap of his. Your- your hands were pretty red when you came out of there. Could you imagine doing that now? ... That would not go over very well. I don't think you'd get a kid in there to get a strap anyway. They wouldn't allow it- they wouldn't even go in the office but no.

And I remember taking out of my desk, and saying, "What is this?" And she gave me the strap for that. Um in grade-four, it was for talking.

Oh, I remember ah with my natural dad ah he was more into the corporal-punishment-type stuff. ... So you ended up with a strap or- I remember ah (inc) the one incident I remember is I came in having done something and ah ah I ducked, because you get the little cuff on the back of the head, you-know. ... And ah I ducked. And I didn't get the cuff on the head, I got the boot.

Well your- things were a little more strict then, yeah. And you can get the strap at school- ... I don't think they do that anymore.

Interviewer: Did you ever get the strap? Speaker: I got the strap and then when I got home I got the strap. ... So I was sort of like a little more incentive not to get in something to get the strap again.

Well me I ended up ah, getting strap ... Yeah I went in ah- I was one of- one of the ones that got the strap and uh, I went home and I told my mother about it. And my mother had called up the school and I guess she blasted them but damage was already done ...

At that time, there were all nuns teaching us. ... And ah, they were cross. They could give you the strap. When you got it, you deserved it but- ... You got it pretty good.

Speaker: ... one man teacher, which I hated. ... every time I made a mistake, I'd get the strap. A spelling mistake, every spelling test, every s-- I got a s-- whack on my hands for every mistake I made.

Ah, Miss-Howards in grade two, I got the strap for the first time, well, the only time, for playing with plasticine in my hand- my homework hadn't been handed in yet. Very strong disciplinarian.

They had the strap when ah- at the ah- well I was at Lauriel (sp) like the first couple of years. I didn't- I didn't like using it though.

Interviewer: Yeah, what would they do to discipline you? Speaker: Well, stay in at recess. ... That was our punishment. ... Interviewer: Oh, so they didn't have the strap. Speaker: No, that hurt worst than the strap because then you didn't get outside to play (laughs).

Everybody was on the same page. Teacher, parent, you get your ass kicked. Two angles, you-know? ... And then they had the strap when I was in school too. ... You got sent to the office, you pulled out your hand, they pulled out this big leather strap and (non-lexical sound, 'paf')

You-know you thought, "Mm, if I do that, I'm going to get in trouble at home, trouble with the teacher, go to the office and get the strap ... n-- I don't I'm going to do that."

Interviewer: We heard stories about ah the strap you'd keep in your back pocket. Speaker: No, I sometimes carried that around. ... It was quick to do something when somebody hit somebody going in the door, it's quicker to get them one crack with the strap when they open their palm than to go into (inc) and it- the boys thought this was great, you-see? Because ah you got strapped and you didn't- nothing. Well, it wasn't anything either, you weren't out to kill them or-anything.

I was a real good speller, but for one re-- I don't know what happened one day. So we were having a spelling-bee and I had seven mistakes and she gave me the strap (laughs). ... And you got it. You-know you put your hand out and she'd hit you with that leather strap they had then.

Interviewer: Was that the only time you ever got the strap? Speaker: Yes.... My brother used to get it quite often (laughs). ... He had a different teacher. ... she was really cross and ah, he used to get the strap every once and a while.

Interviewer: Do you remember any class clowns in elementary school? Speaker: Not really. Interviewer: You guys were pretty well behaved? Speaker: We had to be. That was the day of the strap

Interviewer: Really? We've been hearing so many stories about the strap. ... Someone told us that b-- girls didn't get the strap, is that true? ... Speaker: Girls got the strap, same as the boys. ... I was fearful.