Weekly Tears

Every Friday morning there was an event known as 'Weekly Tears'. This was when boys who had not yet learned the basics of arithmetic were made to stand on a chair in front of the class and declaim their times tables. When a parent asked why the lessons were so quaintly named 'Weekly Tears', she was told it was because when a child failed to remember his times tables properly, he often burst into tears and this served as a warning to other boys!