To add: a belt would be unlikely as too hard to control and not heavy enough. In Scottish schools, they often used a tawse - 2-5 thick leather straps 18 inch long glued on top of each other, often with a slit half way along one end. Effect like a wide heavy ruler.
If you look on say Mumsnet for memories of corporal punishment, you'll find out what it felt like on the hand. But generally it idea was you'd shut up and get on with your work, so classroom punishment on a hand would have no first aid nor lasting issues beyond a day or two of a sore palm.
If you want the teacher to have lost it and go well beyond 'sensible' corporal punishment, then pushing the kid's hand onto a desk and whacking it with a ruler could easily lead to bleeding welts after a few blows, lots of bruises, and possible scarring, though most likely a fine white one. If you want long-term damage you'd need something as heavy as a brick and be well into torture rather than harsh punishment territory. Which might well have happened in the 1950s - lots of teachers then had undiagnosed PTSD from the War and were more than a bit prone to losing it.
tw abuse (yes yes I know the topic but I am going in detail so..)
My aunt was punished in the way you describe with the hands palm up on the desk and whacked hard over and over with a ruler to the point of leaving welts. She didn't mention anything about breaking the skin, but it definitely welted and she was left virtually unable to use her hands for, I think, most of the day, and it was still painful for several days.
This may not be relevant to the OP but I'm going to include in case of possible ideas. IIRC, and it is possible I am confusing, but I think this was the case; she was also punished this way on a single hand (her left) because she was left handed and they were trying to "train" her into being right-handed. This was back in the 50s/60s. I think she still has scars (small, white, probably wouldn't notice if you weren't looking for them).
If you look on say Mumsnet for memories of corporal punishment, you'll find out what it felt like on the hand. But generally it idea was you'd shut up and get on with your work, so classroom punishment on a hand would have no first aid nor lasting issues beyond a day or two of a sore palm.
If you want the teacher to have lost it and go well beyond 'sensible' corporal punishment, then pushing the kid's hand onto a desk and whacking it with a ruler could easily lead to bleeding welts after a few blows, lots of bruises, and possible scarring, though most likely a fine white one. If you want long-term damage you'd need something as heavy as a brick and be well into torture rather than harsh punishment territory. Which might well have happened in the 1950s - lots of teachers then had undiagnosed PTSD from the War and were more than a bit prone to losing it.
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My aunt was punished in the way you describe with the hands palm up on the desk and whacked hard over and over with a ruler to the point of leaving welts. She didn't mention anything about breaking the skin, but it definitely welted and she was left virtually unable to use her hands for, I think, most of the day, and it was still painful for several days.
This may not be relevant to the OP but I'm going to include in case of possible ideas. IIRC, and it is possible I am confusing, but I think this was the case; she was also punished this way on a single hand (her left) because she was left handed and they were trying to "train" her into being right-handed. This was back in the 50s/60s. I think she still has scars (small, white, probably wouldn't notice if you weren't looking for them).
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