Victorian Values

On This Day In History
1883: Railroads create the first time zones

Quote Of The Day
"This idea (standardisation in time zones) was first advanced and fought for by Sanford Fleming of Canada and Charles F. Dowd of the United States. I mention them chiefly because, like so many benefactors of mankind, they have been rewarded by total obscurity."
(Isaac Asimov)

Decidedly unsatisfied wth the conduct of many in the class for the past two weeks, especially yesterday, I decided some serious attitude adjustment was required. The children were immediately shocked to find all of their desks rearranged in separated rows. Further shocked to hear me addressing them, sternly, by their surnames and ordering them to sit down and copy our new class rules into their handwriting books. Handwriting was followed by forty minutes of dictation, then forty minutes of walking without talking practice around the school. 

One child who spoke out of turn was sent next door for a caning and returned crying and rubbing the back of his hand (I chose a good actor; pre-arranged by me, the teacher next door told him to pretend he had been caned.)

It didn't take long to get them calling me "Sir" and getting them to raise their hands for permission to do practically anything.

I had planned to keep the act going until the end of the day but I judged that it had served its purpose by midday so, just before lunch, we had a good discussion about the purpose of the exercise and a jolly good laugh about it with promises not to make it necessary for us to have a return visit to the Victorian era.

Thanks to Charles Dickens, I had a very handy role-model to base my performance on; Mr. Gradgrind

Hard Times