NOSTALGIA: Do you remember prayer in school?

Question

Do you remember not having to be afraid someone would bring a gun to school? Do you remember not even worrying about someone with a knife in school? Do you remember the paddle with the holes drilled in it hanging in the classroom? Do you remember days when kids didn't need to be medicated in order to behave? Do you remember when parents were allowed to discipline their child without fear of being arrested for spanking their child? Do you remember when kids had respect, respect in general? Do you remember saying the pledge of alliegance in school? Do you remember when kids had pride in their country?

Answer 1

Yes. Started school in 1958. Catholic school for that matter. No GUNS, No KNIVES. And we had that stupid ruler. The nuns would slap your hands with if you misbehaved. We respected our elders. Always Mr. and Mrs. Please and Thank-You!!
And Yes, My dad used a belt on us. ( Wouldn't go that far today, you would be in jail for child abuse!) We always said prayer and Pledge of Allegiance every morning! As far as pride for our country. My brother and at least 75% of my graduation class fought in Viet-Nam! ( the guys that is). Only 60% came back!
Today's generation has changed so much! We couldn't wear slacks to school. Our dresses had to be below our knees. If not, we were sent home to change! Our biggest crimes back then was smoking pot and making out in the back seat of a 62 Chevy at pregnant point! Remember Near Beer? Hey, Thanks for the memories! That was a nice stroll down Memory Lane. Have a great day!

Answer 2

I went to private schools, the first one was a christain school, we prayed evryday, and had bible class once a week...from there I transferred to an all-girl catholic school, again we prayed everyday, and had religion classes twice a week, and had to attend mass.

I dare anyone to call DHR if I choose to spank my children, my parents spanked me in poublic, and if neccessary I do the same ot mine.

SOME Parents are not teaching their kids to have respect, to mind, or to have manners. That is why we see what we do today. I said the pledge of allegiance, and actually still did as a preschool teacher with our kids, and we prayed, and said the blessing before each meal or snack.

I remember when a teacher would take you into the coat closet and whack your tail with a paddle, but nope, not now. My boy's school has permission to paddle.

Answer 3

I remember having to pray...oh wait, we still had to pray a mere two years ago. Now we have a "moment of silence." I'm a junior in high school, and I remember my mother spanking me in public, I remember having to say "under God," which some of us still HAVE to do, or we are faced with punishment. I do not remember a day without worries of knifes or guns, and I would like to note that all of us do not need to be medicated in order to "behave," maybe to become a conforming conservative republican I would...but to be an independent thinker...no. Why would we have such pride in this country? Why should we be proud that our country feels like it needs to police the world? Why should we proud to be a bully in the political and world affairs world? Why should we?
Yeah, I think I would prefer today where we have these worries...but also this information.

Answer 4

Yep, sure do remember prayer in school. But as far back as I can recall, there were issues with some kids carrying everything from cigarettes to pistols.
And I also remember that kids carried knives, it just didn't get the press it gets now. Also recall a couple of guns... again, no press. Just principal, cops and parents. The first specific memory is of a 3rd grade black kid who hauled out a knife on another kid. We were all in a new school, first year it opened, bussed away from our neighborhood schools. And I mean ALL of us. Black and white. I was in 5th grade at that time.
And I do recall the boards with the holes drilled in them, and the ones without holes too. I have a more RECENT memory of going to school WITH MY OWN KIDS to BE SURE that nobody ever DARED to hit one of them with such a sadistic piece work. Or hit them at all, for that matter. I insisted on PRINCIPAL, PARENT (me) and if needed, a cop. Never needed the cops and only once or twice needed me. And when I got that call, I was ON THE SPOT.
I also remember "gangs" of black students beating the pudding out of white ones, cause the white kids' parents were upset that integration had come to their schools.
And the pledge. Reminds me for all the world of the Hitler Youth, all lined up and pledging their lives to something they did not begin to comprehend. We were pledging allegiance to a government that had so upset the population, black AND white, that the kids picked up a perception of "danger" that was a self-fulfilling prophecy btw, from their parents.
We were pledging allegiance to a government that finally was found to be as corrupt as we imagined.
We were kids. We had no clue. Allegiances are for adults who are sophisticated enough to decide.

Good ol days? I don't think so. Any better now? No. Glad my kids are out of school, but have grandchildren in school... I do not envy my daughters. The oldest GKid starts middle school this year....

Answer 5

Yes... it is very observable that certain vested interests have
removed religion of any kind from our schools and replaced it with insidious and destructive concepts. They are even "legally" hooking our kids on drugs these days by "labelling" them with ADHD and forcing parents to put them on Ritalin, and other mind numbing addictive drugs.
Our children and their parents are not being made aware that they have fundemental and universal Human Rights.
While it is not possible at this time to put religious instruction and awareness back into the school system ( Church and State having agreed to be "seperate" )
It is possible to educate the next generation on the subject of Human Rights.

Check out this web site www.youthforhumanrights.org if you are interested in doing something about it.
Nostalgia won't bring it back or change what is going on right now. But something can be done about it.

Answer 6

Yes I do. I was in the generation when those things started to change.

I remember getting spanked by my mother in the grocery store. I remember getting paddled by my teacher for fighting in the 5th grade. I remember saying the pledge of allegience every morning in homeroom.

It wasn't until high school that I had heard of any violence at school in my county. We had fights all the time. But in the 10th grade, someone actually got stabbed in the hallway. But I went to school in a rural area of georgia. We weren't a big city area. I had heard of serious violence in schools but those were always in places like NY or LA.

I graduated high school in 1994. Not once did I ever get searched or scanned by metal detectors in school. During a visit to my old high school a few years ago, I found metal detectors at every entrance.

Times, they are a' changin'

Answer 7

yep---and if I remember to take my medication my doctor says I will remember those great things longer. unfortunately, the only people who remember those good old days are folks who are old enough to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.

I remember getting into trouble for spit wads, running in the halls, getting sent to the principals office and corporal punishment. I remember the pledge of allegiance and the prayer in school before the beginning of each day. If you misbehaved you got smacked with that ruler across the hands---then when you got home your parents would spank you for being disrespectful to your teachers and to the principal. My my My----and I learned how to read and write and do my arithmetic. And when I graduated from high school----I was ready for college without remedial reading, writing and arithmetic classes. :-) *Sigh* oh those GOOD OLD DAYS!

Answer 8

When I was a child I remember the teacher asked us to write three pieces of advice for children in other countries.
I wrote:
1. Share your sweets
2. Do your homework
3. Don't tell lies
Recently I read a survey of what American children would say to other children:
1. Say no to drugs
2. Don't carry a gun
3. Don't get involved with a gang
What is happening to the youth of today?
With or without prayer?

Answer 9

Yes, and as a member of a minority, the prayers were a daily problem. I also remember being shunned because of my religion, being excluded from parties, and having a scholarship revoked by the DAR which was designated for white Protestants only. They weren't such "good old days" for everyone.

Answer 10

No, there has never been prayer in school since I started first grade in 1970.

And I do remember all of the other things you mentioned, looking back my generation had things alot easier than kids do today.