Like you I grew up in the late 50's and early 60's so that's my time frame. Catholic schools were known for their discipline, and those nuns were something else.
Any time any kid messed up, there were consequences. You got a "zero" as your test score, or you had to stay after school, or you had to stand in the corner while your friends sniggered at you. Sometimes the principal called the parents of poorly-behaving students. Nuns were even known to paddle students when they really messed up, but it was almost always one of the boys. I don't think a girl was ever paddled, but I could be wrong.
My point is that we were disciplined and most of us learned quickly - there ARE consequences, we WILL be caught, and it's almost NEVER worth it. Those who didn't learn this important lesson became examples to the rest. By the time we were sent off to high school, our patterns were already formed for life.
I've lost touch with grade school-aged children, (my own grandson is already in college) but I don't believe any of this is being done any more. Certainly not in the public schools and there are very few nuns teaching in Catholic schools these days. It's a bygone era.
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