A Catholic-School Veteran Tells All

I suffered a hearing loss in my right ear from a severe twist to the ear by a Holy Name nun back in the 40's(5th grade)
Reason: failure to turm-in a 500 repetitive word paper the next day. Amen

What else can one expect from the institution that invented the Inquisition and tolerated the deplorable laundries (aka prisons) in Ireland until the 1990's.

and what about corporal punishment in public schools?

I suffered a hearing loss in my right ear from a twist by a nun from the Sisters of the Holy Name in Seattle back in the 40's, by a coincidence it was the 5th grade.

Your article made me want to cry. Not for you, but for the selfless dedicated women who gave so much, in their duties as Nuns and educators only to have someone who benefited from their efforts make them out to be demons. With all the abuse you received I'm surprised that your able to even talk about it. I've purposefully refrained from using any harsh language lest I further damage that fragile psyche of yours

There are good teachers and bad teachers in all schools. Catholic Nuns did some very bad things and some wonderful things. Not all the bad things were physical. The open dislike and mistreatment of a student doesn't have to be physical to have the same impact as the physical abuse being discussed.

Some of the wonderful things included an expectation of success with no real excuse for failure, (though the method of not accepting an excuse could be burtal in the hands of a sadistic bully). You see, all of this isn't quite as simple as we would liike it to be.

Respect for the dignity and value of each human life is dependent upon knowing the person well enough to know where the line between expectations of success and abuse for failure is. Since there is no excuse for failure shouldn't there be an no excuse for harming the child in their care through abuse and purposeful mistreatment?

After reading the article, i concluded that the writer "never got it." I did not attend a Catholic school, but was raised in a small Texas town where the same kind of discipline was meted out by the teachers. In fact, a "paddling" from a teacher was folowed by one from the coach if you were an athelete - thus a school role model - and another one at home from your parents. I never felt the victim and deserved every smack. That school has put out more than its fair share of successful leaders and citizens.

I went to Catholic Schools in the 60's and 70's for 10 years. The things that we went through as children would probably make headline news today. We were swatted with fraternity paddles and yardsticks. We were forced into stress positions against the wall holding large bibles in each hand outstretched. Our mouths at times were duct taped shut and forced to put wet soap in the mouth if we uttered a bad word.. There was no discrination over swatting girls either, and I had always thought they got it worse because they had to wear uniform skirts. At least us boys had pants to soften the sting a bit. My older brother was naturally left handed, and the nuns forced him to write with his right hand because they felt that being left handed was a sign of the devil. I also remember having to go to inspection of your lunch tray to make sure you ate every bite of food. Those who had the misfortune of eating the school prepared hot lunches had to finish every bite of lunch no matter how disgusting you might have found what you were served. If you didn't eat EVERYTHING, you were forced to eat all of it with a nun standing over you, or face getting swats, or not being able to go outside to play for the remainder of your lunch hour. At one point my head was pounded over and over against a brick wall as a nun held me against the wall and shook me because I did not complete a religion homework assignment. This was in 4th grade. I was 9 years old and I will forever remember this.

Did all this make me a better student? I don't know about that, but I do know that reflecting back on these 10 years of my life made me question religion, especially the Catholic Religion. I will admit that when I did go to public schools for the last two years of high school, I found myself ahead in most classes. However, the public school did have much nicer facilities, nicer classrooms, and much nicer gym equipment. Being able to wear jeans and t-shirt meant the world to me as well. The catholic schools I attended didn't even have air conditioning! On some summer days I remember the principal "Sister Alice" (the students secretly called her "Sinister Alice") wouldn't let students open the windows. What her logic was that the fresh air would distract us from our studies!

These abuses are not exagerations by any means. I will say that I was never sexually assualted by any priests that I can remember, I wonder if the nuns still use those Bamboo clickers!

Sounds like the lot of you need another good whoopin'.

I had a mixed experiences with nuns at Catholic schools growing up. In first grade, we had this Sister Imelda who had a real sadistic streak and would not let kids go to the bathroom between periods of recess, lunch, etc. The result is that some of the kids would wet their pants. One girl got the nickname of "Pissy Pants" from this piece of work. I happened to stay off her radar screen.

But worse in second grade was a Sister Christina. This was a thoroughly dishonest and abusive individual, who would ridicule one in front to the other kids, call stubborn kids 'idiot', and the like. I got into a shouting match with her and ran out of the school. Here's where the dishonesty came in: she came outside, was very congenial, and offered for me to come in. Behind my back, she badmouthed me to the priest, describing me as a young 'Al Capone' (I am now an MIT-educated engineer with no criminal record). My parents enrolled me in public school immediately afterward. I was denied first communion the following year.

But now here's the good side: At the beginning of 4th grade, I was re-enrolled back into the Catholic school, where Sr. Christina was replaced by a Sr. Jean. What an angel ! Sr. Jean would go the extra mile to help me learn after school and I quickly became a good student. She was succeeded the following two years by a Sr. Joan, also a good person. During my last week of school she invited me to choose a book from the school bookshelf to keep. I chose one on science.

Point: The Catholic Church has some who are truly sincere about the faith and others who shouldn't be in there. Sometimes the Church takes what it can get and that is a mistake. In a religion that is inherently other-worldly, the clerics often miss common-sense points that us lay people readily know. But those who abuse children - either sexually or through violence - do not act in the spirit of Christ and are unworthy of Holy Orders

I strongly disagree with the writer. I too attended Catholic School for 13 yrs. 12 +K. Like the writer I was also punished physically, slaps in the face, ruler across the knuckles, yardstick slap, blackboard erasers thrown at me. Despite all this physical discipline, I, and most of my classmates turned out fine. Honestly, a little more physical punishment by adults just might have a positive effect on youth. Corporal punishment is what I'm referring to. No fists, punches etc. just good ol catholic nun punishment.

Oh, and for those sadistic creatures who traumatized so many little children and who, in many cases might have caused them to turn away from religion because of the hypocrisy, they should crack open their bibles and read, "It were well for him if a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble."

I attended Catholic school for 13 years, (1952-64) including kindergarten and was never hit --- but, then again, I was an angel child. My brother, on the other hand, was batted around quite a bit. He was 3 years ahead of me in school and I cringed at the beginning of each new school year when the new nun would say to me, "Don't tell me you're John's sister". They were tough. I did send my sons to Catholic school but they were never hit....it was in the 70's. Others were and I remember one of my sons telling his brothers that Sr. Eleanor hit one of the boys and I asked him if she ever hit him and he said "She almost did one day, Mom, but I told her I would hit her back, so she backed off"......he was quite a big boy for the 4th grade so I guess she thought better of it. It was child abuse...pure and simple.

My mother was also the product of a Catholic school. I think they laid an excellent foundation for her to become the phsyically and mentally abusive parent she was. Some kids - not necessarily the biggest "trouble causers" - seemed to be favorite targets of the nuns. However, some of the kids had mothers who were as protective as mama grizzlies and the nuns knew to tread lightly around those kids unless they wanted an angry confrontation with mom. My mother was still as cowed by the nuns as she must've been when she was a little girl - grovelling and so eager to please. Not only did she let them run roughshod over me, but I knew if I got in trouble with them I'd get worse when I got home for having failed to please the nuns my mother so revered.

I went to Catholic school for 6 years in the 50's. One nun inparticular comes to mind...she was mean and did not seem to like childern..what was she doing in a school? Oh that they could have all been nuns like the one's in "the bells of St. Mary". But then public school was worse...the girls had to lift their dresses to swats with a paddle...when I became a mother I told the school NOONE touchs me girls, if they need disipline call me, I'll be here in 5mins and take care of it but anyone touchs my kids will not be happy..... they got the message.