Teachers of Ask UK, what are your thoughts on earlier generations?

Now and again on this subreddit people air grievances from their school days. Some funny, some painful memories.

I had the opportunity to walk around my old secondary school last week with a close friend. I attended in the 90’s, but the actual site had changed beyond most recognition. It struck me how many terrible memories I had of the place, and bear in mind that this was a fundamentally good school in a very middle class area.

I saw friends being humiliated by teachers in front of an entire year group. PE teachers opening laughing at pupils who struggled with physical activities. Teachers showing blatant favouritism towards certain pupils. Children having their work ripped up and thrown in the bin during class because supposedly it wasn’t up to standard. The music director conducting mandatory choir auditions in front of a whole class, forcing children to sing a solo then mocking them when they were tone deaf.

The majority of this behaviour happened during years 7,8 and 9, when we were just kids. Not bad kids, just kids. And as a Dad myself the thought of my children going through what I went through is awful. I know we have a desire to protect our kids and that bad experiences sometimes have to happen to them for them to grow, but not at the levels I went through.

I don’t know if people went through the same, and feel free to share if you did or didn’t, but I also wondered about the teachers? Anyone on here in the profession / retired from the profession from around that time? Did you see any behaviour from staff like that, or even perpetrate it yourself? And if so, why?