# Junior High P.E. Class - How did the Coach Punish students? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 11, 2010, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-high-p-e-class-how-did-the-coach-punish-students/560366 "2010-11-11T22:45:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-high-p-e-class-how-did-the-coach-punish-students/560366/21 "2010-11-12T19:02:23Z")
Run, run and run. He was a sadistic bastard. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-high-p-e-class-how-did-the-coach-punish-students/560366/22 "2010-11-12T19:10:07Z")
Yelling. Running (Man makers). An occasional buttonholing up against the wall. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-high-p-e-class-how-did-the-coach-punish-students/560366/23 "2010-11-13T01:58:35Z")
> [@KarlGrenze](#): > > …We had written tests on the theory and rules of each game, which I actually studied for and aced. That was the only way I could pass class…It wasn’t until I got OUT of high school that I actually slowly improved my fitness. I wish the class had been more aerobics/general physical conditioning and less “let’s play these sports and if you suck at them, you’re screwed”. Yeah, we _never_ had a single written test. Ever. PE was graded on a strict Pass/Fail basis and wasn’t factored into our GPA at all. On the other hand it was practically impossible to fail a quarter (you bascially had to refuse to dress out, mouth off, and/or just flat out refuse to participate; and you had to do that repeatedly) and they needed to get permission from the administration to fail anyone. It was literly impossible to fail for the entire year. That’s right, it was actually district policy that every student passed PE for the year no matter _what_ (not that we supposed to know that, the girls PE teacher let it slip). If it wasn’t for state law requiring PE in grades 1-10 & grade 12 then it would’ve just been an elective (if the district offered it at all). And we were supposed to bother putting effort because? :dubious: Oh, and I did enjoy certain parts of class. These were the times when instead of an organized game we just allowed to go use the exercise equipment or lift weights. _That_ I actually liked. I’d even end up sweating enought to actually need a shower. But the administration frowned on the PE teachers doing that because we “weren’t learning anything” :rolleyes:. The real reason being that they wanted to reduce wear on the machines and save them for the student atheletes. They even offered a strength & conditioning elective. But only if you were on a sports team, and take it in addition to, not instead of, regular gym class. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-high-p-e-class-how-did-the-coach-punish-students/560366/24 "2010-11-13T08:02:22Z")
I really don’t remember any punishments. But all we did in class was either play sports, or take a day walking and talking. And, if whether did not permit us going outside, and the basketball players needed to practice, we just sat on the bleachers. Then again, my graduating class was one of the best behaved classes I’d ever seen, and my PE class happened to be with the more well-behaved of that group, due to those people mostly being the more academic people, whose class schedules would only fit P.E. seventh period. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-high-p-e-class-how-did-the-coach-punish-students/560366/25 "2010-11-13T21:23:55Z")
Junior high gym class was pretty low-key, and I don’t remember any need for punishment. Ninth grade, though, the coach used the method of not enforcing discipline at all, and letting anyone get away with anything. People would get outright beat up during basketball games, and his response was “Eh, if I called fouls, the game would be nothing but a big foul-shooting contest”. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-high-p-e-class-how-did-the-coach-punish-students/560366/26 "2010-11-13T22:38:11Z")
Y’all got off easy. Our PE teacher had a large, wooden, home-made paddle (holes drilled in it for airflow) hanging on a hook in his office in full display. And yes, he used it. He’d call out the offenders and bring them to the center of the locker room and say, “touch your toes”. Then, he’d give them several _very hard_ whacks on the ass with the paddle while the rest of the class watched. It was worse on swim days; you would get whacked wearing a wet swimsuit. Yeah, things have changed. 🙂 mmm [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/junior-high-p-e-class-how-did-the-coach-punish-students/560366.md?page=1)