School Spankings

[MJS]

I saw this today, and needless to say, I was shocked.

WASHINGTON - Paddlings, swats, licks. A quarter of a million schoolchildren got them in 2007 — and black children, American Indians and kids with disabilities got a disproportionate share of the punishment, according to a study by a human rights group.
Even little kids can be paddled. Heather Porter, who lives in Crockett, Texas, was startled to hear her little boy, then 3, say he'd been spanked at school. Porter was never told, despite a policy at the public preschool that parents be notified.

Now, my mother has told me stories of back when she was in school, but obviously times change, so what was happening back then, could be very different today. In any case, IMHO, I don't feel that its the job of anyone in a school, to hit, spank or anything of that nature. Obviously if 2 kids are fighting, then its necessary to touch them to seperate them, but there is a big difference between that and spanking someone.

 

[jkembry]

MJS,

I have just read the same thing. I was shock at the disproportion that was mentioned.

I know that today, at least where I am at, paddlings are frowned upon. I think this is mainly because society is law suit happy and the schools are don't want to go to court. I do know when I was growing up in the 60's and 70's, that if I got paddled at school....my parents were told and I got another one at home.

Truth be told, depending on the reason...and age...this may still be a good way to do things. But there needs to be a sound policy in place to govern it.

My opinion only.

 

[MJS]

MJS,

I have just read the same thing. I was shock at the disproportion that was mentioned.

I know that today, at least where I am at, paddlings are frowned upon. I think this is mainly because society is law suit happy and the schools are don't want to go to court. I do know when I was growing up in the 60's and 70's, that if I got paddled at school....my parents were told and I got another one at home.

Truth be told, depending on the reason...and age...this may still be a good way to do things. But there needs to be a sound policy in place to govern it.

My opinion only.

I agree, and I was thinking about the law suits as well. When I was growing up, if I did something that was worthy of a spanking, I got one. Now, some people may confuse that with abuse, but there is a big difference between a parent giving their child a whack on the rear end, vs. slamming the kid into a wall.

On the other hand, some may also look at this with the same glasses that they're using to view the curfew thread. Again though, another big difference. Some may think that the school and the police have no right to do things to their kids. With the police, they're enforcing a law. The school has other options to discipline kids, ie: detention, suspension, etc. I just don't think that a school should have the right to physically touch a child in that manner. I'm sure there're some kids that probably do deserve a whack..lol...but it should be the parents that give it.

 

[Twin Fist]

simple for me.

When i was in school, and we acted up, we could get licks.

Kids acting up in school was rare.

Now they dont give kids licks, and acting up is common place. Students assaulting teachers is more common than ever. My step daughter graduated in 06, and she would tell us daily that some kid on one of her classes stood up to and back talked, and sometimes out right threatened the teacher.

High schools USED to have ONE ROOM for detentions, now they have whole buildings.

Paddling isnt abuse.

spanking isnt abuse.

When i was a kid, visiting a friends house, i didnt act a fool, know why? I knew his parents would take a belt to me, take me home, tell my mother and she would take a belt to me too.

So guess what? I didnt act up.

In My opinion, NOT spanking or paddling a child is a more serious form of abuse.

 

[kamishinkan]

Absolutely AGREE!!!!! When I was in school, or at a friends house, the paddling was just as if I was at home. When I got home, my mother cared about me some more (no regard for double jeopardy).
Today to spank a child is considered abuse, I believe abuse is not spanking your children! Our world is getting so wierd.

 

[Tez3]

I don't believe in spanking children at all, I've never had to touch any child of mine nor any I've taught. Perhaps I'm just scary rofl but seriously I've never had a need for it.
Parents of the children I teach do ask me how I do it but I can't tell them really. Do you remember though at school there were always the teachers who would walk in the door commanding silence and good behaviour just by their demeanour? there were also the others that you never noticed when they walked in the door. I had mostly the former.
My parents never touched me or my brother either.

 

[JadeDragon3]

I don't think its the place for the school to spank. That should be done at home if the parents think that it is warrented. I believe in spanking. Forget this time out crap. Thats B.S.. I know if my parents put me in time out I'd be worse because I'd be think the whole time how I could get away with whatever it was i did next time. I believe in spanking not child abuse, there is a difference. The problem is people want to report others for the slightest little spanking and call it abuse. And Child Social Services will snatch your kid away from you in a heart beat (weather its warrented or not). all they need is a complain from someone.

 

[Tez3]

As I said I don't believe in spanking children ( adults...well thats a whole different post lol). I've not done the time out thing either, my kids however knew when they'd done wrong.
What I saw recently that made me laugh sadly was a small child who hit his brother then his mother hitting him saying 'you mustn't hit people' and he learned what from that?
I just don't believe pain or fear of pain is the way to teach children (or animals)

 

[zDom]

Have you seen what schools are like nowadays?

I don't think they should keep/bring back paddlings; I think they should arm teachers with TASERS.

 

[stickarts]

If my child were to misbehave the school would have every right to suspend them or take other disciplinary action, however, not to lay a hand on them. The teacher that did the paddling would soon be receiving a paddling by me!

 

[theletch1]

I got exactly one paddling from a teacher when I was in elementary school (back in the dark ages). The school called my folks to tell them and, yes, I got another when I got home. I didn't need many spankings as a child. The ones I got I needed. My children haven't needed a whack on the but since they were toddlers. Notice I said a whack...one... to stop dangerous behavior in it's tracks. I don't do time out. I find mind numbingly boring busy work to keep them busy while they consider what it is that they've done that they're gonna get grounded for. As for a school doing spanking... nope. Of course, if discipline were properly enforced in the home there would be much less need for discipline in the schools and certainly no need for spanking. There simply aren't any consequences for acting up in school anymore. I knew when I got my spanking that I had another one coming when I got home. Therefore, I pushed the limits only so far. Teachers have more than enough to do while at school without having to worry about issuing corporal punishment. They SHOULD be able to call a parent and know, without a doubt, that the problem would be taken care of that afternoon. Allowing it in schools would soon become expecting it in schools and be just one more things "parents" (yes, that's in quotes) in this country could push off onto some government entity.

 

[Ray]

If my child were to misbehave the school would have every right to suspend them or take other disciplinary action, however, not to lay a hand on them. The teacher that did the paddling would soon be receiving a paddling by me!

Suspending a kid from school isn't a punishment, it's a reward.

 

[Ray]

simple for me.

When i was in school, and we acted up, we could get licks.

Kids acting up in school was rare.

Same here.

 

[celtic_crippler]

To echo some...when I was coming up if I got a paddling at school, I got another one when I got home. I wasn't the best kid in class either so I got more than my fair share. I do feel that if I hadn't gotten them I'd probably be a hinderance to society; I was (and still am) quite thick headed. lol

My line of thought falls in with Robert Heinlein's views of discipline (and probabably Batmans...lol)

It's been proven time and again that appealing to people's base instinct for self preservation is sometimes the best, if not the only way to encourage them to behave properly.

In an idealistic world, there'd be no need for spankings. In an idealistic world one could use logic to reason with a child (or adult for that matter) in order to have them understand why it's important not to misbehave. But we don't live in an idealistic world, in reality there's simply no reasoning with some and the only thing they understand is a smack across the back-side.

Spanking is by no means the only form of punishment. I'm not advocating beating the crap out of people every time they break a rule. I believe there are "degrees" or "levels" of punishment that should reflect the severity of the bad behavior. Simply put, the punishment should fit the crime. That being said, corporal punishment should be one of those levels.

Spare the rod, spoil the child.

 

[Big Don]

There used to be a lot more humiliation that went along with being caught in the wrong.

 

[Traditionalist]

There used to be a lot more humiliation that went along with being caught in the wrong.

I was a teacher for a little while and I did notice one thing. The kids that were polite, respectful and never needed a spanking had parents that were the same and enforced that on thier children, which I do say proudly sounds like a lot of parents that are talking on this thread. But the kids I always thought needed a good swat also had parents that needed a good swat. They were rude, loud, and generally sad people. Most of the time the kids that were get spankings are looking for a little attention and they might not necessarily want a spanking but they never came back and blamed me for getting one. They knew they did wrong. I grew up with corporal punishment and believe in it. I do not believe in abuse though. And do believe that we can trace most of our problems in school to thier home life. Once parents start parenting then there might not be this thread in the future.

 

[donna]

As I said I don't believe in spanking children ( adults...well thats a whole different post lol). I've not done the time out thing either, my kids however knew when they'd done wrong.
What I saw recently that made me laugh sadly was a small child who hit his brother then his mother hitting him saying 'you mustn't hit people' and he learned what from that?
I just don't believe pain or fear of pain is the way to teach children (or animals)

I totally agree.

 

[Sukerkin]

The odd thing is that I am a firm advocate of corporal punishment, despite the other elements of my personality that would suggest I shouldn't be.

I know without a doubt that without the significant amount of corporal punishment meted out to me as a youngster, I would be a much more violent and unpleasant man than I am now (or like to think I am anyhow ).

Children are not 'little adults' as the Victorians lead us to believe. They have the capacity to reason like a human and to make associations between actions and consequences but they do not have a 'moral sense' for quite some years. Punishment and reward are matched horses in growing people to be part of society and, sad to say, it is the case that for some of us more willful individuals fear of reprisal is a far more effective method of training than expectation of reward for good behaviour.

As in adult life, Sensei Pain is the most motivating of teachers.

 

[stickarts]

Suspending a kid from school isn't a punishment, it's a reward.

If thats the case then the student needs to learn the value of education, which needs to start at home. I am all for discipline in school, however permitting them to strike my child isn't acceptable.

 

[Ray]

If thats the case then the student needs to learn the value of education, which needs to start at home. I am all for discipline in school, however permitting them to strike my child isn't acceptable.

I agree that children need to learn to value education and that it should start at home. There are lots and lots of values that children need to learn, and they need to start at home.

Does the school system your children attend have a policy that allows spanking?