Reading the stuff thir has quoted really makes my hackles rise. Tripe written by low grade middle managers trying to justify their existence by regurgitating their latest personal development training in order to protect child "victims" from the masses of perverse, paedophile teachers ... sorry, I meant to say "educators" (and I suppose I should include educatrices too, except to suggest all females might be perverts too would just be plain sexism) ... it's so vitally important to use the correct terminology ...

Sorry, was I ranting?

I speak from experience ... at school in Scotland in the mid 50's I had to watch as my elder sister received the strap from a vicious spinster teacher who knew someone had misbehaved, but not who. It certainly wasn't my sister. I remember the fear my sister displayed before the punishment was inflicted andthe tears afterwards. She died about 10 years ago, and having read how childhood abuse can last a lifetime, I'm convinced that what the teacher did must have been the cause ...

But then, I myself was brutally caned by sadistic "masters" for talking in class, for forgetting my homework, for arriving late, and for running along the corridor. I expect the violence I suffered must have warped my outlook on life. Perhaps I, too, am not much longer for this Earth.