The donkey cap was a paper hat used for public humiliation in classrooms for slow or lazy students. It originated from a group of philosophers who wore it to enhance knowledge. The cap was later associated with stubbornness and idiocy, leading to its negative use. It is no longer used in modern education.
A donkey cap is a conical paper hat, frequently marked with the letter “D” or the word “donkey”, and formerly used as a method of punishment through public humiliation in classrooms. Students who were slow, lazy, or considered stupid were forced to sit in the corner of the classroom wearing a donkey hat, often on a high stool after being physically punished as well. In some schools, the slower students would also be separated into a “donkey table”, so they would not interfere with other students. In most modern schools, students who have learning difficulties are identified as needing special attention, and are usually referred for further evaluation rather than put down.
The history of the donkey cap is quite interesting, as the cap was originally worn by a group of esoteric philosophers. This cap is related to a 13th century philosopher, John Duns Scotus, originally from Scotland. Scotus’s philosophy was extremely complex and difficult to understand, but he had a loyal band of followers who became known as the Dunsmen. In the 16th century, advances in philosophical thought led to a general rejection of Scotus’s teachings, and his followers, the Dunsmen, were ridiculed. The term “fool” came to be synonymous with “idiot.” Many of his followers resisted advances in thought, leading to the association of stubbornness and slowness with fools, as well as idiocy.
The Dunsmen wore the conical donkey cap because they believed the hat would enhance knowledge. The idea of a vertex or point representing the pinnacle of knowledge is common in many societies, and Scotus also believed that the hat would channel learning back to the wearer. These donkey caps were probably made of felt or other rigid materials so that they would not sag or list as they were worn. While it may have started as a symbol to be proud of, the donkey hat began to be used as a method of public humiliation, due to negative associations with the Dunsmen.
Beliefs about education have radically changed since the 16th century, when it was believed that humiliating students in front of the classroom was beneficial or fun. The wearing of donkey hats persisted into the early 20th century, along with corporal punishment for student misbehavior. However, the donkey cap is infrequently used by modern educators, although it appears in popular culture in the form of cartoons, books, and jokes.
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