School punishments in the seventies. Stories from students and teachers

Abstract

In traditional education a colloquial adage said that "the letter with blood enters", and although today in the popular gatherings it is remembered with jocularity and mischief, in the traditional school of the 70's this expression had severe implications, since we were placed in the school where contradicting a teacher's argument, disregarding any orientation, failing to do homework, not memorizing and not reciting the lessons as they were, led to imminent punishment. That is why this research starts from these assumptions and makes a copious compilation of testimonies in the voice of students from the 70's, who in their Primary Education studies were punished and years later decided to embark on the adventure of practicing the teaching profession. The methodology used to develop the study was oral history, and included the participation of eighteen key informants who were interviewed virtually in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. The results of the study allow us to characterize the types of punishment, causes, consequences, the role of parents and the role of future teachers who were punished in their school training.