[redwitch]

While we didn't fight in the classroom, there sure were a lot of fights after school and even occasionally at recess. I wil admit we didn't use a lot of foul language (wasn't common on TV or radio back then nor was it acceptable if a female was around) nor was rowdy behavior in the classroom very acceptable, at least not in elementary school. Don't know about your schools but I know when I was in an American public school, kids knew that if they misbehaved in class, a visit to the principal and his paddle was the next thing that would happen. I'm not convinced corporal punishment is an answer but we do need to quit tying teachers' and schools' hands. Some sort of discipline is needed and just giving a kid a colored card for acting out doesn't cut it.

As to the 50's being so great, they weren't. The Cleavers and the Nelsons only existed on television. Real life wasn't that easy. Kids were molested back then, child and spousal abuse was not only common but accepted, women and minorities were relegated to subservient positions. Lynchings were common. These things just didn't make the news or, if an incident did make the news, it was usually whitewashed. The statistics on child sexual abuse in the 50s is abysmal. Sorry, with all of the problems and issues today, I'd never want to go back. It seems the 50's were really only good if you were a white, educated male (even though we kids really did have a lot fun and really didn't know nor understand a lot of what was happening in our world).