While most people think corporal punishment is a thing of the past, it is actually making a comeback in some states. Where is corporal punishment being promoted?
"Spare the rod and spoil the child" is a frequently heard quote. It is often heard when grandparents discuss their childhood days. But, it is now being quoted by parents of this generation. This philosophy seems to be alive and well in the Bible Belt.
Rick Lyman of The New York Times learned that corporal punishment is being reinstated at some schools throughout the U.S. While 28 states have banned corporal punishment, Lyman states that it is legally used in the South and lower Midwest. It is not only legal there but widely used.
The Stats
Lyman states that in 2002-03 school year, over 300,000 students received blows from paddles in this country. Some of the paddles have holes cut in them for more sting. 70% of the 300,000 reside in
Alabama
Arkansas
Mississippi
Tennessee
Texas
Clash in Philosophies
There is growing discord in some communities that are growing in the south. With growth come new community members. These new students and parents come from states where corporal punishment is banned and there is an outcry that this form of discipline still exists. New families are frustrated with the practice and attempt to have it changed. Most are not successful.
While the American Academy of Pediatrics have come out against the practice, James C. Dobson, the child psychologist , author and founder of Focus on the Family, supports it.
Lawsuits
Some schools have parents give permission before a paddling but others do not. Lawsuits are being filed when students are being paddled without permission but the courts are siding with the schools if there is a written policy endorsing coroporal punishment.
Some parents that Lyman interviewed said they would never have moved to the present school had they known there was a policy of corporal punishment. Parents that do not endorse corporal punishment need to call the school their children will attend prior to moving and find out what the policy is. The policy may even differ from building to building within the same district.
While many administrators say paddling is effective, it is hard to believe that a different method would not have been more humane. How much effort is being put into finding the underlying cause of the behavior or trying forms of behavior management? The 28 states that have banned corporal punishment have positive atmospheres in schools without resorting to violence.
Copyright article 2006 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
The copyright of the article Corporal Punishment Returning? in Classroom Issues is owned by Barbara Pytel. Permission to republish Corporal Punishment Returning? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
I believe that it is one of the only ways to reach a troubled child. But I
also think that a parent should be present in order for the child to
recieve the punishments. Where I live the is two unruly children and they
recieve this punishment and it has completely improved their performance in
school.
Nov 20, 2008 7:01 PM
Guest :
I have to disagree. I'm currently doing a research paper on corporal
punishment, and physically striking a child has so many psychological
effects on them. You can discipline a child verbally and get it to work,
Its just how you do it.
Dec 1, 2008 4:56 PM
Guest :
well i can tell you from experience, nothing got through to me better as a
child than a good swat on the behind. we tend to learn faster that way.
and if the punishment is done in the proper way, it will always be more
effective than a simple talking to.
Dec 5, 2008 1:07 PM
Guest :
I actually think that corporal punishment on a child is wrong, and for many
reasons. For one, we do not know what exactly the child is going threw at
home or at school and if we punish them like that then they will probably
feel like they have no one to go to. They might even feel worse about them
selves. For example, I got abused when i was a child and my parents didn't
care what happend to me, I became an angry child. I felt like there was no
one for me to talk to about it with. Well I started to do bad in school and
misbehave and I had to go to the office to get pops. Well of course they
call your parents and ask them if its okay but having the parents I had
they didn't care and they said yes. So I got 3 pops that day and honostly I
felt like i had nothing and no one. I got it at home and I got it at
school. All i needed was that one person to take the time to understand. I
feel like the parents are the only ones who should give you that type of
punishment. No one else.
Dec 6, 2008 11:47 PM
Guest :
I believe corporal punishment confuses kids, and leaves them scared and
disoriented. We should be patient with our children and disipline them
using words...not violence.
Dec 7, 2008 5:53 PM
Guest :
I feel corporal punishment should be an option. Every child is different
therefore his or her punishment should be based on the technique they learn
best.
Dec 15, 2008 7:44 PM
Guest :
it worked for me. i'm a public school educator and often times wish i
could use some of the punishments that i received. students now have no
consequences and they know it. i'd love to get suspended from school for 3
days and get all my work sent home to do at my leisure. it would have been
even better as a teen when there was "nothing" to worry about. i
also find myself dreaming of a "time machine" that would
transport some of the kids back to the 1960's with some of the teachers i
had. i thought i hated them then but now know they truly cared and only
wanted to teach without interruptions from clowns in class.
Feb 5, 2009 10:43 PM
Guest :
I don't believe in corporal Punishment myself at all! I have a 2 year old
boy and I could never see him put through that. I understand that some kids
can be horrible! I have seen them myself and I have a heart for the
teachers out there today. My feelings are that its not fair for the
teachers to have to do the disiplining also. That is what starts at home.
They need to teach your children not be the parents also. More and more I
see parents hitting kids as a quick way out, instead of teaching them it
was wrong and showing them the right way. If my child throws a toy, I don't
take it and throw it back at him, or if he makes a mess. He doesn't get
beaten for it. I show him you make it you pick it up and now he does it no
problem all on his own. And yes only 19 months to be exact. Kids are always
learning as our we. We need to more with them not against. Teach them not
hurt them in the process.
Feb 16, 2009 8:47 PM
Guest :
I think that corporal punishment is a way to hurt a kid inside and out. You
hurt the kid on the outside hell say, hey thats it? but on the inside hes
hurting bad
Mar 2, 2009 9:50 AM
Guest :
If we want our Kids to have a better, happy and healthy future, then Corpal
punishment is not the sollution
Mar 3, 2009 3:13 PM
Guest :
OK i think, wait i know that hitting a child is really wrong! Because that
child might be already in sorrow from friends or family and they don't need
to get more of it. i mean like it is faster but it's wrong cause it can
cause the relationships between that child an whoever that hit or spaked
him or she.
Mar 9, 2009 9:54 AM
Guest :
Corporal punishment should stay un-reinstated because nowadays children
would tell their parents whats going on in school and if they tell their
parents that they'd been hit on the knuckles , their parents would
ammediatley get the teachers fired or even send them to jail !
Mar 23, 2009 2:03 PM
Guest :
I work in law enforcement and I can promise you that corporal punishment
gives an individual a healthy respect for a authority. The same parents
who don't dicipline their children when they are young are the same ones I
have to notify that their teen is dead or missing
Apr 9, 2009 11:02 AM
Guest :
I agree wtih you. Corporal Punishment should be used in school. Verberlly
telling them to do something won't work. You need to fallow thru with your
demands, even if it comes to Corporal Punishment.
Apr 21, 2009 5:10 PM
Guest :
I believe that corporal punishment is necessary. I do not believe in
physical abuse. I think that corporal punishment allows the child to become
more aware of the mistakes that they have made and teaches them to learn
from them.
May 21, 2009 8:59 AM
Guest :
thank you to whoever wrote this article. it was completely useless
Jun 10, 2009 7:58 PM
Guest :
i think that its wrong! its not the way to slove promblems. it can lead to
many diffent things. like death and long term depreesion! its wrong!!! be a
real person and talk it over. theres so many ways to slove your
promblems!!!
Jul 7, 2009 12:10 PM
Guest :
Personally I am right now a high school student. I really think that
corporal punishment needs to be implemented to teach children. If I was
talking out in class or worse and a teacher smacked me across the knuckles
or on the behind, I would stop. Whereas if the teacher simply gave me a
detention I would just know I can spend it reading a book actually enjoying
myself not getting a punishment at all and continue talking. There needs
to be a different kind of punishment option, short of abuse, simply to show
kids their actions actually do have consequences.
Jul 15, 2009 7:11 PM
Guest :
for my sr i have to present a lecture and i chose corporal punishment as my
topic. of course hitting a child is wrong in many ways i do agree. but this
past year i have sat in many saurday schools and detentions for stupid
mistakes. it was a waste of time becuase we really didnt do anything and
the teacher that held the saturday school ended up with a few extra bucks
on their paycheck. i missed many practices for softball because of this
and i would have taken a few pops if it ment that i would be able to go to
my sports activities. i think high school students should have the right
to decide which punishment is suitable for them. if corporal punishment is
carried out correctly i feel that it would send a message to the sudents.
i do not beleive in abusing a child at all, but everyone is different and i
feel that is why sudents should be able to have a say so in there
punishment.
Jul 28, 2009 2:58 AM
Guest :
Everyone knows the south is trying to promote hitting children. Its the
only way they can keep their political numbers. Two things need to happen.
1) cities smaller and more in touch. 2) country folk in humidity yet a
religion that keeps you more uptight than anything--long cold showers.
That is my remedy for this deliberate focus on children as your biggest
problem. After 30,40,50 years of being spanked around you should be the
most luckiest, happiest, most appreciative person in the world to even be
10 miles near a child. Don't waste your time on this earth, help somebody
and leave punishment to every day life.
Sep 27, 2009 8:10 AM
Guest :
Considering the fact that I was raised with corporal punishment from my
care giver...I personally believe that it is a cruel source of punishment
for whatever reason regardless of who is doing it! It is very damaging. It
can cause so many physical and emotional problems and not only that, it can
be an issue that can be passed/taught from generation to generation.
We,society as a whole can choose to close our eyes, ears and mouth by
choosing to ignore the signs and justify the behaviors,so what happened to
"looking out for each other?!" As the saying goes...."Am I
my brothers/sisters keeper?" Most definitely!
Nov 6, 2009 3:53 PM
Guest :
I do not believe corporal punishment is merited. If our educational best
are not able to educate children without resulting to violence then they
need more education themselves!! (yeh?)For the general public, when you
have that precious little baby you promise to raise, Is it your idea
"oh I cant wait to paddle it!!!" No! Its your idea to protect!
Well protect and educate and they wont want to grow up and hit other people
either. (as far as troubled children-that is probably why they are
troubled! I would say more likely then not, a troubled child has been
abused somehow!) I agree striking anyone errects emotional issues as does
verbal etc. I would have loved for someone to think that I was intelligent
and special enough as a child-to sat and talked to me and thought out
consequences instead of dealing them out in anger, or frustration or
because their screwed up view of the bible. Well, for all those that like
to quote the bible - Jesus says (who is mightier then solomon or david)
anyone who offends a child its better a millstone be tied to his neck and
he be drowned, and to not be a stumbling block to anyone of His. I will
believe that Jesus came to fix the world not to condemn it. I am sure
Solomon was trying to rectify messed up people in a messed up world at his
time and that was a fix. Also, when it reads "Rod" and
"Staff" people fail to realize that SHepards used the Rod/staff
to care for their sheep, they "protected" their delicate little
sheep and guided them into where was good and right. If they were in the
wrong---they would take their rod/staff and hook them around the neck and
pull them back toward the flock or push them guiding them to the right
track with what it took - not to injure or hurt but to Protect and Nurture!
I am sure this was the meaning of the use of Rod/Staff...and the use of
using a metaphor of a Shepard. THINK ABOUT IT... if not why not just let
the big bad wolf eat them... In Oregon, see ya
Nov 19, 2006
