This book will appeal to all those interested in the human side of school life. Beginning with the setting up of the NSW public education system in 1848, it draws on reports, reminiscences, photographs, archival material, diaries, letters and poems from 150 years. A striking example of change within this 150-year period is the difference in reporting on discipline matters:
- In 1880 an inspector concluded that a boy aged about 11, who had been given eight cuts of the cane on the hand, had not suffered much because of the smallness of the cane and the physical feebleness of the wielder. He added that "In my opinion the teacher only did his duty and the boy deserved more than he got . . . (The mother) has been a nuisance to every teacher of this school for years".
- Almost 100 years later, in 1977, a high school principal reported that he had that day declared vacant the place of a boy who had punched another boy in class and fractured his nose badly. The principal commented that at the time the boy was not making the best use of educational resources.
