I went to grade school in Mississippi, (Air Force brat, 1970’s) and here are some fun facts:
The day started with the class reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and then singing "Dixie."
Every classroom had a paddle hanging near the blackboard. The principle and many of the teachers also had a paddle handing off of their belt.
The "That’s a Paddlin’ " bit on the Simpsons was a 100% accurate representation of my first day in school
The Mississippi schools were about 6 months ahead of the Utah schools I came from and they made me do a lot of the homework assigned before I got there.