corporal punishment in public schools

[GalvestonDuck]

Perry -- your dad whipped you with the racing tracks, like some parents use belts to spank their children?

[LSU2001]

As a teacher I think that Corporal punishment has it's place in education primarily in elementary school settings. In early childhood students do not have the mental ability to reason out why what they did was wrong. In these cases a quick three licks with a paddle administered by the principal only and with the parent's consent sends a quick and resonable message. However, using a paddle on a middle or high school age child simply will not work. The mindset is much different and they need to be made aware of the consequences of their actions and held responsible for these actions. I teach high school age children and hardly every have to discipline my students. Why? because I set up procedures and rules in my classroom that I enforce fairly and consistently. I also respect my students as young adults and show them that any punishment they recieve ie. detention, punish work etc. is a result of their behavior and not because I don't like them. Most of the kids respond positively to this approach and follow the rules simply because I expect them too.

Crying about not having control of the classroom is a farce, The teachers that allow students to run over them are the same teachers that refuse to set up detailed management strategies or to consistently enforce their rules.

Most importantly as a teacher you need a sense of humor and need to be able to connect with your students. You need to understand that they are kids and will act up from time to time. I strongly believe that firmness, caring, and high expectations create a much better environment than does fear.

Just My two Cents,
Tim

[SouthernWx]

Perry -- your dad whipped you with the racing tracks, like some parents use belts to spank their children?

Shawn, my dad would beat me with anything he could get his hands on....because he was usually out of control. My Hot Wheels race track was a favorite of his.....he'd double them up, and every lick would leave inch-wide bruise...sometimes deep enough to cause bleeding.

[blumoon]

I think I was misunderstood......... I don't consider a spanking a beating and I never said that those who spank their children are beating them. Anyhow, I don't spank my kids. After reading some opinions here I was just curious who had kids and who didn't...

[Derek Ortt]

I do not as of yet have any children, but when I do, I do intend on spanking them

In kindergarten, I went to a catholic school (thanks to New York State, corporal punishment was outlawed in the public schools) and there was corporal punishment there. I never recieved it, but I did witness a classmate receiving it (she went to the office every single day). The principle came into the classroom, set her on a chair and adminstated 5 smacks wth an open hand on her back. Let me tell you, she behaved the remainder of the year as did the rest of the class (I had been to the office a couple of times prior, it sure made me bahave).

I have also had teachers who went to school when corporal punishment was legal, and they said that yes it made them black and blue, but the punishment was over and that was that. It was not a big deal at all to them

[GalvestonDuck]

I think I was misunderstood......... I don't consider a spanking a beating and I never said that those who spank their children are beating them. Anyhow, I don't spank my kids. After reading some opinions here I was just curious who had kids and who didn't...

I agree.

Now, barebottomed whipping with a belt, cane, or some other harsh instrument that draws blood is a whole other story. As is throwing a full cup of coffee (cup and all) at a child, as well as beaming them with an entire keychain full of keys, paperweights, books, shoes, plates of food, a phone, or cans of food. How about kicking? Strangling? Punching? Hair pulling?

It all works extremely well and keeps kids in line and obedient.

[Dee Bee]

I voted no. As a mom, I never hit my own child. As an educator for 32 years, I have never agreed with administering corporal punishment on anyone else's children. First of all, the goal of such practice is not physical pain; rather, the goal is humiliation. Humiliation is the seed of a much worse pain --emotional pain-- which teaches children self-loathing and fosters dark (and sometimes pathological) revenge. Physically-forced obedience defeats the true spirit of obedience. One goal of both parents and teachers is to lead children to understand and practice self-discipline: accepted, appropriate behavior for its own sake which increases self-pride. Corporal punishment teaches behaving out of fear. (There is particular hypocrisy in hitting a child to stop that child from hitting or fighting. Even very young children are confused by that type of "Do what I say but not what I do" action/attitude.) For anyone who voted "only in extreme cases," please explain such cases, the type of corporal punishment which would be meted out, and why.

[LSU2001]

IMO i think we all learn from some humiliation. If everyone is always happy about things then how do we learn to avoid bad feelings and seek good feelings. I do agree that punishment in a school setting is mainly about humiliation but I still believe that it can be effective in lower grades.
Tim

[LSU2001]

I have two well adjusted, successful children. a Boy 15 and a girl 11. I have used spanking (not abuse) very successfully. However, I feel that my children are beyond the age where it is appropriate punishement. I now correct their behavior using other methods, (grounding, taking away games, etc).

[george_r_1961]

Exactly lsu. Grounding is a very effective tool; it taught me how to tell time when I was a teen and had a bad habit of breaking curfew. It also served to help boost my grades. As I said earlier im not totally against spanking, but one swat on the buttocks with an open hand is enough. No need to use a belt or anything else. And spanking should be done at home not at school.

[pojo]

I was spanked as a child by my mom, dad, grandparents and my baby-sitter (whom my mom gave permission). My grandpa went for the belt... my babysitter would use a wooden spoon, everyone else it was openhand across the face or butt. On several occassions, my mom & dad would hold my jaw. There were timeouts only after the spankings. When I was a teen, my mom held my jaw. I wasn't really grounded...we didn't have all the necessities that we have today (ie cell phones, computers, etc) that you can take away if the child is not listening. I felt the consequences of doing wrong and knew not to do that again.

Timeouts, IMO do not work. I am a swimming lesson teacher and we absolutely cannot strike the child... we leave that for the parents. I have sat children down for timeouts, and 5 minutes later they are doing the same darn thing!

I had an 'old school' teacher for 2nd grade that dispised left handed people...If anyone of her students wrote with their left hand, they received a ruler across the knuckles. Yes, I received the ruler plenty of times during the first weeks of classes. My knuckles were black & blue, but that was the way the teacher disciplined the children. The other teachers could careless. Albeit punishment in class, I still wrote with my left hand a home and now-a-days, I am extremely ambidextrious!

In this day in age, teachers will not discipline children.... oh whoop-ti-do... name on the blackboard... that will really stop a child from goofing off during class. Being sent to the principals office.... that will really work... "lets talk about what you did" You get the child's side of the story! Mr. so-and-so doesn't like me!

[Skywatch_NC]

Part of the reason that so many teachers have lost control of the classroom today IS because some parents out there may just not be good disciplinarians at all...and because corporal punishment is no more in the schools...kids just feel all the freer to wreak heck on the faculty...while disrupting valuable time for good students who want to learn.

Eric

[weathermom]

It seems to me that a lot of parents today refuse to believe that their child could do anything wrong. If the school calls to report an incident, the parent runs in to defend their child. Most children aren't learning any responsibility, what they are learning is that mommy and daddy will bail them out of anything.

[SouthernWx]

Talk about humilation....I had one middle school teacher who had the right idea. Mrs Rega didn't paddle, nor yell and scream at students in her classroom...

If a student misbehaved in her math class, Mrs Rega would simply call the offender(s) to front of the room....hand him/her a piece of chalk, and have them draw a small circle on the chalkboard. Once drawn, that's where the student would spend the rest of class -- standing there...with his/ her nose inside the circle on the chalkboard. I never had to do it....but several friends did, and they all said it was totally humiliating.

Mrs Rega may have only been 5'1" tall, and might have weighed 100-105 lbs at most....but she always had one of the best behaved classrooms at Stewart Middle school (both when I attended and a few yrs later when my sis was her student).

[alicia-w]

doesnt everyone agree that society in general has a problem with accountability, control, and things like that?

i think there's a HUGE difference between a swat on the butt and beatings meant to systematically break down a kid's self-esteem and self worth. i got several beatings as a kid and in retrospect, i probably deserved every single one of them. (Not a model child)

Kids today are not given enough limits.

[alicia-w]

give the school resource officers TASERs!!




(just kidding, of course)

[chadtm80]

a black and blue mark goes away rather quickly. I have been told this by some who received corporal punishment and resulting black and blue marks.

I'd much rather have a black and blue mark on a student, than run the risk of a school shooting

The only problem with that is, if you "Punish" the wrong kid these days thats exactly how they will respond

[streetsoldier]

Yes, there is "Spare the rod and spoil the child", but those who live by that tenet neglect the other Biblical injunction..."Provoke not thy children unto wrath" (lest they turn on you).

There has to be a wholesome "middle ground" somewhere.