Von Ohrfeigen, Tatzen und Kopfnüssen

The Zurich public school regulation of 1900 allowed teachers to use corporal punishment in exceptional cases until the end of 1985. The extent to which teachers exercised their fundamental right to punish has hardly been examined by historical research so far. The same applies to the question of how school authorities dealt with teachers who were criticized for this. The publication provides new insights into both topics.

To assess the disciplinary behavior of teachers at that time, a written survey was conducted, with over a thousand participants. Thanks to the survey, it can be determined, for example, which types of punishment were used most frequently or how often there were violations of the right to punish. Additionally, archival sources present the views of school authorities on the subject of corporal punishment. It is explained, among other things, what measures the education council or the education directorate, as well as the district school boards, took against teachers who had been noted for using corporal punishment. The city of Zurich is analyzed in depth, and specific complaint cases are examined more closely.