My father was a school teacher - only just.  It had been his goal to be a teacher, he was an academic, somewhat socially awkward and eccentric I suppose.  First job was at Otago Boys.  Teachers had to wear academic regalia in those days. He was very tall and skinny, with thick round glasses, and long nose, and looked extremely bizarre and out of place.  I'm assuming that many of the boys were boarders, from farms in Otago and Southland, from good sturdy rugby stock etc, totally gobsmacked by the appearance of the master placed in front of them - and they were merciless.  He was teaching Latin and French - probably not popular subjects. I understand that they tormented him, he retaliated by beating them with the cane, that made them mock him more, it devolved into such a debacle that the headmaster had to intervene, suggesting that if he wanted to continue with a teaching career, then another school in another town would be a good idea from which to start again.  He did, and managed to go through his entire teaching career without ever using the cane again.
I'd wondered if he'd exaggerated his story about his worst failure, but I've actually met an ex-pupil of the school who'd been in his class, who confirmed everything, right down to the nickname they tormented him with.

I was beaten (strapped) at primary school for no reason a few times, only once for good reason - if there's ever a good reason to beat children.  Thing was then, people/parents didn't often question teachers, it was also typical that for many of my friends, if they'd been strapped at school and their parents found out, they'd likely be on the receiving end of an even more severe beating by their fathers - double punishment.  So you didn't tell your parents - you tended to put up with it.