JENS FIRST PADDLING

(Jen on the left)

(Jen clowning around)

Jen, 17, 12th grade, Westview HS, Georgia.

I'm 17 and I go to a public school in Georgia. I never really did anything THAT bad until I was in
high school. Last year I got a strapping/licking with a belt from my dad for cutting class. That WAS
the WORST punishment experience of my life!!!
I still get spanked. Not very often, but I got one last Monday. Mom and I got into it and I let me
mouth say more than my heart. I have her temper and so we don't mix well when we both think
we're right. Dad feels it's his job to support mom and to discipline me when I cross the line with
her, so he sat me down, lectured me and then spanked me.
I was grounded the week before. The grounding was for being mouthy with him. It's
embarrassing for me to say that I yelled at mom and mouthed off with dad.
I got 4 last year and I've had 2 this year. 15 to 20 smacks, sometimes with a yardstick. I bend
over his desk in his home office or I bend over in my room with my hands flat on my bed. Jeans
come down and skirts go up. Underwear stays on -- usually.
Girls are scared senseless of being spanked or getting swats and there are guys who make a game
out of it. I only know one girl who truly jokes about how many spankings she gets. She's a
sweetie, while being a little out there. :)
Kids get paddled in my school, but it's almost always by choice. Maybe the kids in the elementary
schools don't get to choose between swats or detention, but I'm almost sure that everyone in my
HS is offered the choice.
I was paddled on March 17 2006. It was an experience I'll never forget!
Me and one of my friends, Julie, got in hot water for talking a few times during Trig class and our
teacher, Mrs. Knight, called us down and gave us a note to take to the office. Naturally, we begged
forgiveness, but she gave none! Julie and I took our notes to Mr. Halder, one of our Assistant
Principal's (sic) who I know and like. He was real stern at first but he cooled off after we talked.
He could tell I wasn't denying anything and that I was trying to be cooperative. He chewed me out
but he was cool-headed about it. Then he gave us a choice between Saturday detention (would
have been yesterday), or 3 swats. He made up those choices and told me that he thought the
swats would be better for me personally. I don't think they offer swats as an option as much as
they used to. I took the swats, Julie took the detention.
I think he advised me to take swats because he truly thought it was best for ME. I like that, cause
it makes me think I'm not just another student in there getting disciplined. I don't know what
advice he gave my friend. I know she wouldn't take swats no matter what, so it probably didn't
matter what he told her.
I chose the paddling over getting detention, which is the normal consequence for too much
babbling during class. I was warned more than once. I chose it because I didn't want everyone to

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know I got Saturday detention and because I thought swats would be a quick and quiet way out. If
it happened again, I probably would NOT chose to be paddled. I really don't know. I'll be a senior
next year so I doubt I'll be faced with this choice again. I was never paddled before this. The worst
thing I did before this was cut classes last November, and the school let me off because my father
talked to them. I don't think I would have been paddled but I know I was up for ISS. Dad told
them he would take care of it at home but I don't know if he was specific about it. I think it was
implied that he would deal with me at home. Nothing happened at school, other than a HUGE
boring lecture from like SO many people, but I got into big trouble at home. It was the first and
only time my father has used his belt on me. I had to lean over my bed but for most of it, I was
standing.
Mr Halder said he was giving me swats for MULTIPLE instances of what they call, "class
disruption". That can be anything from chewing gum to chatting to cell phones going off to
throwing stuff. The normal punishment for class disruption is detention, and detention can be
anything from 2 hours to half-day on a Saturday.
I didn't have time to get scared although I was nervous as it happened. Mr. Halder told me that it
was the normal practice for Mrs. Lenington, another one of our A.P.'s, to paddle the girls, so he
would be calling her in to give me the swats. I asked him if I could have my swats from him and
he told me that would be fine if that's what I wanted. I know Mr. Halder outside of school and my
parents know him. He's a nice man and so I felt a little closer to him than the other A/P's. I wasn't
sure if he would go easy on me, but the possibility did cross my mind. I was quietly praying that
HE would be kind to me, but I knew it was going to HuRt no matter WHO did it to me. Maybe I
thought HE would go easier on me than anyone else, but mostly I chose him because I know and
trust him as being a good Christian... If HE wasn't there to deal with it, then I would NOT have
chosen the swats. I'm happy it worked out the way it did, cause a detention on my record could
have got me kicked off the squad.
Then he filled out some paperwork and had me sign it. He then gave me a note that would let me
go home after all this, since I only had one class left for the day.
I was getting real nervous. I would be less scared now, especially if I got it again from Mr. Halder.
It's the unknown that's scary.
Mr. Halder called Mr. Dietrich, a social science and psychology teacher, in to be a witness. As for
the witness, I didn't care that much WHO it was as long as it was an adult. I really didn't think
about it at the time.
Mr. Halder got out a wooden paddle. All I remember about the paddle was that is wood and it was
big. It didn't have holes in it or anything else. It was just really big. I was wearing jeans. I was
told to empty out my back pockets, not that I had anything in them. Then he told me to pull the
back of my shirt out of my jeans and then to bend over his desk. I didn't really know what I was
supposed to do after he told me to let out my pockets and pull out my shirt. I did it and then I just
stood there. I still don't know WHY I had to empty out my pockets and pull out the back of my
shirt. The SWATS were going to hurt regardless of the thickness of my clothes. I didn't think he
was being mean, even though I would have never thought the back of my shirt would give me
THAT much padding. I don't have a problem with thinning my clothing, within reason, and as long
as the swats won't be given full force. If I got regular hard swats thru my cheerleader uniform, I
would be bruised for weeks. That's not cool. I guess I was lucky I was wearing jeans that day.
Then he told me to bend over his desk and grab the other side. That was how I knew I was
supposed to lean all the way on to the desk instead of leaning over it a little. I bent all the way on
to his desk. Is that 90 deg's? I should know the answer to that question!!! I don't think it made it
worse. It's gonna hurt no matter how you're positioned. I'm not sure what position you have to
get in to for the Principal or the other A/P. I hope I never find out!!!
For the record, I was not embarrassed about bending over or about any attention given to
caboose. It's all part of it. I don't know what the DEAL is with only women being allowed to paddle
girls. It's not LIKE we are dropping our pants for it!!! Looking back on it, I think I'm more
embarrassed about the witness seeing me get paddled than Mr. Halder doing it.
Mr. Halder was "matter of fact" about my paddling without being gloomy or grim. I was the one
who was gloomy. He took his time, told me what to do, and how to assume the position. When he

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rubbed my butt with the paddle, I lurched forward because I thought a swat was coming. He told
me to relax. How was I supposed to do that???
I think the 3 swats took about 30 seconds out of my life. There was a definite delay between
swats, and Mr Halder rubbed the paddle on my behind before the first swat and between swats. I
got all 3 swats on the lower half of my rump. He rubbed my behind with the paddle before it
started so I knew where I was being targeted. Trust me, 3 swats was enough. I yelped when I
got the first swat but not for the other two. I almost cried on the third. It was the shock of the first
swat that got me off guard. When it was over, he didn't say anything until he put the paddle away
and then he asked me if I was ok. I thought that was a dumb question.
The swats definitely hurt, but it wasn't quite as bad as I expected. My paddling hurt more than
some of the spankings I've had, but not all of them. I was spanked once with the belt and that was
bad, and I've had some hard spankings with the rod when I was younger, and some of those were
worse than the swats.
I don't think I really felt it until I was walking out of Mr Halders office. I went straight for the girls
3L restroom, still trying to hold back my tears. I composed myself in there and then tried to sneak
out without anyone seeing me. I saw one guy on my way out and I smiled and acted like nothing
was going on. He must have seen my red face! The swats hurt for longer than I expected. I s'pose
you can say that everything was not what I expected! I guess it's necessary that it hurts and that
I learn something from it.
I didn't cry during, but I cried on my way out to the parking lot. When I got in my car, I bawled
like a baby. My behind was sore but I think I was more embarrassed than hurt. It's like when a girl
gets spanked by her father, she feels embarrassed and maybe a little silly, and that doesn't help
the pain. I was able to drive home safely and spent most of Friday night thinking about what
happened.
I was VERY lucky to get to go home after the swats. That is NOT the usual practice. It's a GOOD
thing for me, because I was bawling like a baby when I got to my car. I couldn't stop crying. If I'd
gone to my next class, I would have been out of control and TOTALLY embarrassed. I didn't have
much problem sitting in my car, and when I got home, I layed face down on my bed and took a
nap. My feelings hurt more than my behind! If this EVER happens again, I'm going to BAWL like a
baby during, instead of holding it in.
Looking back the swats were not mild and not scorchers either. There was no bruising BUT I was
very very red and the stinging lasted until the next day. It wasn't THAT bad. I did choose to have
Mr. Halder give me the paddling because I know him personally and we go to the same church.
My parents did not know about the swats until I told them on that Sunday. I was terrified that my
father would use his belt on me again. One time was enough. They were mad but I didn't get into
more trouble like I thought I would. I wasn't really going to tell them, but some really smart
people encouraged me too. I'm glad I did because I know my father would have totally FREAKED if
he got the news from Mr. Halder and not from me. Dad was angry but forgiving. My punishment
was a very LONG lecture. When I told dad all about the swats, I think he made up his mind that I
had had enough. I think he was happy with the way Mr. Halder did what he did.
Seems unfair to me that some kids get punished at home after being punished at school, but
that's the way it is some families. I have a friend who got swats at school on a Thursday and then
had to wait until Sunday night to get a spanking from her father, who was out of town when she
got her swats. I felt bad for her and told her I would pray for her, but she thought I was
overreacting. To her, being spanked at school and then again at home made perfect sense.
I felt awkward when I saw Mr. Halder at church that Sunday. I didn't want to see him. I went OUT
of my way to avoid him! I wasn't mad at him or anything, but I was embarrassed. When we did
meet up, I said HI and he said HI and he asked me how I was. He put his hand on my shoulder at
the same time. I said FINE or something like that and scurried off. :) He was very gracious to me
though, and made me feel like everything was cool. At least for HIM, everything was cool. I seem
to talk to him more now than before all this happened. We talk in the hall and at church. He's
really a sweet man. I've seen him many times, in school and in church but we haven't talked
about the swats. I'm not bringing it up :) but I'll talk about it if he wants to.

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I've had some time to think about what happened, and I'm cool with how it all worked out, I guess
it's necessary that it hurts and that I learn something from it. It was a very painful paddling and
something I would never want to happen again. In similar circumstances I dont know whether I
would choose a paddling again..
As they say some lessons are only learned through the seat of a kids pants! I don't know if the
swats improved my study habits, but I'm keeping my mouth shut in CLASS - um, most of the
time. :)
As well as learning how much a school paddling stings, I have learned a few other things:
1 - Respect the fact that even I am not above the rules of the school.
2 - Warnings are not to be taken lightly.
3 - It's ok to make mistakes as long as you learn from them. In reality, my father taught me this
one a few years ago but I thought about it when I got the swats.
4 - Shut up when you're told to.
I am MORE aware of paddling now. When I go near the Admin office I think about the swats and
when I see a guy or gal go in the office or come out of it, I ask myself if that person is going in to
get swats? 99% chance of NOT, but you wonder. I was the only student around when it happened
to me. I would be very embarrassed if any other students heard me getting it!
Im certainly not planning on being paddled ever again, trust me 3 was enough! But I wasn't
planning on it happening in the first place :)
God Bless,
JEN