When I was teaching (a long time ago), I did once rap a boy on the knuckles. In my defence, he was attacking another pupil with a knife. A table knife, admittedly, but I wasn’t having that in my classroom.

Yes, exactly. Glad you were spared that trauma :)

PS I have many fond memories of my father, too. He just lost it on one or two occasions. Come to think of it, I don’t remember him ever smacking me again after that one incident. Perhaps he realised what he had done. He was a kind man on the whole.

Indeed. I suppose there is smacking and smacking. Smacking a child’s hand away when they are about to do or touch something dangerous? Sure. Giving a beating as punishment after the fact? Never. Punishment beatings are for terrorists.

Useful, not used. Bloody autocomplete.

(2/2) It is a source of sadness that one of my earliest memories of my late father is him smacking me. He didn’t do it often, but that one incident remains printed on my memory to this day. I think it traumatised me for years.

Ouch. Smacking (or otherwise hitting) children in cold blood is just horrible, awful. Smacking them more than once is awful (and frankly abuse). A single tap on the back of the legs to get their attention (when other methods have failed) might possibly be used in some circumstances. (1/2)

The bumblebee of civil aviation.

I have had ‘king regards’ before. I also corrected a typo in which I thanked a subordinate for sharting her concerns with me.

I did actually come and look at your timeline to make sure.