Lessons from the class room...

Last week was hot, too hot actually for some of us as I was very poorly towards the end of the week with it so I read a few old Dandy Summer Specials, probably as well as the last two years of what should be the Dandy Summer Specials have been given over totally to late 2000's Jamie Smart drawn Desperate Dan.

Normally in a comic you gravitate to those stories whose characters are more like you and your mates like Winker Watson, Brassneck or otherwise relatable like Korky the cat so a cartoon about a nosey girl like Keyhole Kate or mischievious girl like Beryl the Peril wouldn't be your thing, something you just quickly scan through before concentrating on one you did.

Summer Term for us always meant tests or exams, no not your GCE's but end of year ones to see what actually went in subject by subject something that would be communicated to your folks and to which you would be given some clues when it comes to what to revise and maybe how to do that.

Some make grand revision plans others just cram it in on the last minute and pray it all comes out.

This is an interesting cartoon that is set in that context with past memories and return to home where we'll see if plays out again.

It's interest to note Beryl has vivid memories of last time - those of us who were brought up with being spanked just do - and yet we see her not escaping a repeat but trying to escape the exam itself even when taken to school to avoid that option.

She continues to create a scene until the headmaster steps in and "forces" her to sit down and start her Exam paper.

Many of us can recall - and being painfully honest I did at times too - trying to rewrite on the fly the whole narrative of how our exam went when envitably the report card was presented in a sealed envelope  to present to your parents.

You knew pretty much what it would say having being informed directly about what you did and what your tutor(s) thought about your work.

I can remember only too well what my GCE Geography tutor wrote on the report prior to the mocks, pretty much calculated to drive Dad into spanking me.

Beryl's  attempt spinning hers out into a poor result in absolute terms but softened by Trying Hard failures as her dad spots the missing additional words.

Looking at this from outside angle there are two sets of thoughts that arise:

Does Beryl's falsehoods and deception of themselves warrant attention which back then would of been a spanking in itself and today a lecture, loss of previledges and grounding?

Secondly as far as her result AND attitude to studying go would you draw a distiction between the two elements?

I was back the punished for bad results even when it was the case I had reading difficulties and wasn't able to complete the test in time because of my disabilities. I feel that's not justified - we need help with learning much more.

On the otherhand if you were offered it and still didn't say attend extra tution, made no effort to revise or work to the best of our (limited) abilities isn't some sanction justified as we aren't helping ourselves that in the long term limit our opportunities?

Should we not be disuaded by whatever means from getting into that?

Personally, and having seen examples of people that have in later life got stuck into that pattern of behaviour then frankly yes.

By the standards of my time back then, it it was me, then a spanking was more than appropriate and the only thing I should be expected to do is be responsible afterward.