Teacher canes whole class with four strokes, ends up in court
Master who caned an entire class welcomes the opportunity to vindicate his action as the case was of importance to teachers all over the country – according to this report from 1954.
THE
WHOLE
CLASS
GOT 4
OF
THE BEST
Case
of the silent schoolboy
ONE boy in Class IIIBI stamped on the floor after his
teacher had shouted for silence.
And the same boy kept silent as the whole form was
caned FOUR TIMES because he would not own up.
Yesterday the teacher who carried out the mass caning.
6ft. 4in. tall Gordon Frank Denniss, 39, was told by a court that his action
was right.
“We consider you acted reasonably in the interests of
discipline,” said Mr. C. E. Hudson, chairman of Loughborough, Leics,
magistrates.
‘Necessary’
Mr. Denniss, an assistant master at Garendon, Leics,
Secondary Modern Boys’ School, was cleared of five summonses alleging common
assault on boys in his class.
He admitted the caning, but said: “It was
necessary to maintain discipline. The stamping by that one boy was in open
defiance of my authority.”
Mr. Denniss
told the court: “I didn't want any sneakers. I wanted no one to split on a
class mate. What I did want was that the boy who was responsible should own
up—but I still don’t know who it was.”
Mr. John Rodgers, defending, said that Mr. Denniss
welcomed the opportunity to vindicate his action as the case was of importance
to teachers all over the country.
“With examples of cosh boys and juvenile crime, and
the general lack of discipline before them, what are teachers to do ?” he
asked.
As published in The
Daily Mirror 06 November 1954.
Picture credit: Damian Simons
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