Should Corporeal Punishment Be Allowed in Schools?

Now that school has started and the kids are back into the swing of things, with today’s youth and their behavior, how should the school address discipline? I remember back in the day if you got in trouble you were ordered to go to the Principal’s office. When you arrived at the Principal’s office, you knew what was about to happen. It usually involved a strap or a call to your mother. I really can’t speak on this issue because I for one was never called or sent to the office for discipline but I have heard stories. So, what is different today?

courtesy of graceelgin.org

Should your child or teenager be disciplined at school by the teacher or Administrative staff? If not, what brand of discipline should be allowed or if any at all? Schools with only time-out or suspensions are only giving children the “get out of jail” free card. If discipline is not addressed who is running the school?

I understand that some teachers or Administrators have gone too far in this area but does that mean that discipline should be none existent?

To discipline or not to discipline and how, guidelines should be drawn and parents should be made aware of the policy as well as agreeing to what should be done in the necessary time of need. Don’t get me wrong I don’t believe in “beating”, “whipping” or any type of physical abuse. I am aware of the belief “spare the rod spoil the child” but I also believe that was during a limited understanding of discipline and it was purely on wanting to inflict pain as a deterrent. However I do believe that parents and the school should be on one accord for creative discipline.

Yes, creative discipline. The “time out” theory in my opinion does not work either but there should be guidelines for consequences to “bad behavior”. Of course, no discipline structure of any kind will work without the compliance of the parent. This point is very important because every family has their own way of disciplining the children however in the case where the child receives no discipline within the home the school must have a plan of action for the parent to follow and agree to within the school.

No plan or structure is perfect but children tend to follow the rules when proper guidelines are laid down as a foundation. The guidelines should address each infraction of breaking the rules. Each parent should be required to sign off on the rules of the school with the inclusion of attending a presentation provided by the school so there are no misunderstandings and the school receives full cooperation from each parent.

Each student should also be required to sign off on the rules along with the parent as well as attending the same presentation. The students should be aware of the consequences to their actions even to the point if law enforcement should be called. It is possible that the student will act differently if the consequences are made clear on the front end. The consequences should be progressive in nature so the students are well informed of what comes at each step.

Now is not the time for the schools to bury its head in the sand in wake of the student disciplinary problems.

It is the time for proactive decision making to ensure the safety of all students that attend public school. Consequently, nothing can happen if educators and parents cannot come together on one accord to help the children.

If you child attends a public school get involved; attend the parent teacher meetings; make suggestions to assist the educators in keeping the children safe. The key word is Get Involved. The children need you.