Mashie, when you said a "seeing a kid spanked in school", did you actually see the kid getting the whacks, or do you mean you know about one getting paddled?
As far as I understand (it's difficult to ask about such issues without appearing to have a prurient interest), paddling existed in my mother-in-law and father-in-law's highschools, but they were done in some kind of school official's office, not in front of other students.
I can relate to your "nervousness" about seeing other kids getting spanked.
I know the question is directed to Mashie, and I'm very curious to hear her reply, but I thought I'd offer up my experience too:
The predominantly Irish nuns that ran my grade school in the American Midwest were definitely exhibition spankers. Paddlings were almost always done publicly in front of the whole class. I received more than my fair share that way. There were two paddlings I remember witnessing that were administered to a number of boys at an assembly in front of the whole school for some high profile offense. I don't remember the exact misconduct that resulted in their punishment.
These public displays, I'm sure, were intended to add to the humiliation of the recipient, as well as to set an example of consequences thereby effecting the behavior of the audience. It was common when we were young (up to age 8 or so) for boys to have their britches taken down and girls to have their skirts turned up so that the swats were taken by a bottom protected only by under garments. Added humiliation and pain being the intention no doubt. No bare bottom spankings were given as I knew it.
I remember a few haughty girls who had no empathy at all, but for the most part, witnesses typically sympathized with the punished, feeling bad for their publicized plight. Silent condolences were offered with glances and gazes. Some needed to divert their eyes at times. There were tears shed by both victims and witnesses. Most of them were rather stoic and some even vicious, but on the rarest of occasions even a paddling nun was known to show a damp eye.