February 25, 2008
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Swatting
Back when I was in school, there was a form of discipline called “swatting.”
You had to bend over and the teacher would hit you on the butt with a board. I had it done twice. It could hurt for 30 minutes. Some kids would even cry. There was a teacher who was known to hit kids hard. He would take a step into it and swing like a baseball bat.
We could hear it down the hall if he swatted a kid.
I wonder if this wouldn’t fix some of the current problems in school. If kids had a fear of the swat, I think they would give the teacher less grief.
Do you think teachers should be able to swat kids?
Comments (188)
1st
The nuns beat the crap out of us. I was a straight A student. Maybe that fear wasnt such a bad thing.
I never really liked this form of discipline. Whether they should or should not be able, they should never have to use it.
Teachers swat kids all the time in Vietnam … hihi
I’d also like to add I was never hit, and also never disciplined in school for anything.
I would be so horrifically terrified that I would probably never say a word in class.
I went to a private Christian school until 5th grade, and if I got into trouble there they would make us call our parents in front of the adminstrator and he would tell them what we had done. Then we got a spanking from that and when I got home.
With the child abuse threats these kids make now-a-days is ridiculous. That’s why our kids are the way they are – lack of discipline at home. Plus parents spoil their kids rotten too. A tap on the hand doesn’t do the trick. NOT disregarding there isn’t abuse out there, there is.
Should a teach swat a child? That’s up to the parent’s discretion. However, if my kids get into trouble they should be in trouble at school and home.
We had the Strap when I was in public school. It was one of those whispered rumor things – I don’t know of anyone that actually got it. I think that it’s too late for schools to try to have the “fear” instilled in the students – everyone would just sue or get the teacher or principal fired for using it!
There’s a fine line between discipline and abuse…and I’d still say yes. Paddling in school wasn’t a bad thing.
@EarthsAzureLight - I got a belt whipping if I didn’t behave, and it made me a better person today. My dad never laid a hand on me, my mom always did the discipline.
When I was in elementary school in Texas, they swatted the kids. Only the really bad ones. I have a memory of us all sitting in the hallway whispering among each other while Roosevelt (yes, that was his name) was getting spanked in the classroom.
To answer your question: Yes, I think it should be allowed, only for the most extreme cases. Roosevelt always talked back to the teacher, stole stuff from kids’ lunches and stuff. I think the staff finally had enough and the principal and our teacher sent us to hallway and stayed in the classroom with Roosevelt and talked to him, then the principal spanked him.
Hell no.
@msbutterfli - We had a yard stick in my school. I rarely got into trouble at school, actually I knew better.
Ha…I remember swats although I never received one…just the threat of it. True, very true if the school was quiet you could hear the sound resonating through the building.
Ours did when I lived in Bolivia, but it was very rarely used. And only the principal was allowed to do so.
@GodlyWoman83 - same here! I was a quiet student…but I knew if I got into trouble at school, I was in even bigger trouble at home! I want my boys to think the same way!!!
Never got swat, personally. Although I think it would be a good thing if there’s a procedure to address unruly kids.
No. A civilized society attempts to rise above its base nature.
@GodlyWoman83 - If you can make children obedient from there own conscious rather than fear of punishment, its better in the long run. When people get old enough, there is no punishment to fear. (College students drinking heavily, sleeping around, etc)
conscience*
We had swatting in my school and it really didn’t seem to help. The kids who actually got paddled were big jerks, and they stayed big jerks. It was almost like a badge of honor.
@msbutterfli - Haha. I hear you! Same for my children. I got into trouble maybe a total of 3 times in my entire school (12 years) history.
their* damnit making all sorts of typos
I don’t know… this is a tough one… When I went to school, paddling (as we called it) was allowed, too. (and I can’t believe you actually got a paddling twice!
Only the bad kids endured that punishment in my school!)
I don’t know, however, if that would work nowdays. You’d almost need the parent’s permission to allow it and some sort of document releasing the teacher and school from liability. That’d never happen.
Absolutely. It reinforces positive correction while at the same time gives the student something productive to sign their name to. I had my signature a few times on the school paddle.
@EarthsAzureLight - There’s where I have a difference of opinion. I think if we would have put the fear of God and discipline in our children/young teenagers, they wouldn’t be lashing out in such a way. I mean, my parents [more of my mom] were strict on me. They never explained to me why, always the ‘Because I said so…’ We have to do more than that to these kids now-a-days.
I think it’s okay for parents to spank (or swat) their kids and while it would be nice for teachers to do something more forceful to the bad kids, I’m sure that a lot of parents would have an issue with that. I think that parents should be told when their kids are bad (maybe by phone call or something). I know that if my teachers ever called my house (and they never did), I would have been in huge trouble by my parents which seemed a lot scarier than my teachers being mad at me anyway.
@mandalou89 - Everyone knew in our’s too. It got really quiet in our classrooms.
I would fear the kids using it on the teachers.
@GodlyWoman83 - That doesn’t teach people to think for themselves at all. Basically you would be raising kids to be mindless obedient zombies.
We had “The Board of Learning” which was never administered to me but my brothers were regulars.I think it should be up to the parents to opt if they want that used or not.
@GodlyWoman83 - Could’nt have said it any better myself…………
Absolutely. Kids, teenagers, and young adults are living without any understanding of the consequences of their own actions. In an increasingly boundaryless world, there is tremendous value in having an immediate consequence to unacceptable behavior.
@Adamission12 - Thanks.
Yup!!
@EarthsAzureLight - Then obviously I am a mindless zombie in your books. My parents taught and raised me in the fear and love for God and for discipline. If kids are so ‘mindless’ then I must not have finished HS with 3 seals and college in less than a year and half for a 2 year degree as well as take on other majors too.
@Bokgwai - Isn’t it a parents job to teach kids the consequences of these behaviors? The result of drunk driving is not a spanking, its the death of a lot of people.
Teaching kids causality seems more important.
@EarthsAzureLight - PS: I finished in a public school setting as well.
No, it is a form of abuse.
I know some countries still permit this method in one form or another in schools.
violence begets violence?
@Bokgwai - This is true.
I think physical punishment should be something that’s left up to the parents to decide to employ or not within the privacy of their home (within bounds, of course). Hitting a child not your own, especially in front of others, can have psychological impacts, especially if the child is sensitive. I remember getting birthday spanks from my teacher in kindergarten, and even that embarrassed me (though I was quite shy as well).
I was never hit in school as a child (wasn’t allowed at the time!) and I was always well-behaved. There are other ways of maintaining control over children than fear. If a teacher can’t control his/her class, there is either something wrong with their methods, or something further going on with the child concerned; in both cases, psychologists can be called in to work things out. You might be surprised how much behavior modification programs can help, often in conspicuous ways.
@phil_leafman - How in the blazes is it abuse? When they beat a child to where he or she is black and blue, that’s where I have a problem definitely. However, lack of discipline in these kids show lack of respect, character, etc. Parents need to be parents and not best friends. That’s a bunch of crap to tell a child you’re my best friend and not their parents.
@EarthsAzureLight - I’m hardly a mindless obedient zombie. I was the lone Jewish girl in Catholic school with corporal punishment. If any student had a lot to think about, it was I.
The fear of corporal punishment taught me discipline. It never taught me not to think for myself, but it did teach me to think before speaking.
@EarthsAzureLight - I agree with you here. It is definitely the parents’ responsibility to teach kids these behaviours. However, I also agree with the old saying that “it takes a village to raise a child.” We cannot take these tools out of a teacher’s hands. I believe that nurture plays a big role in a kid’s life, and these lessons should be reinforced with consistentcy.
I say hell yeah they should be able to give out some good swats, these kids these days, no kind of respect, hell we had it in school and not once did I ever get swatted, but I am definitely all for it.
It won’t happen, our government is trying to stop parents from paddling their own kids even! But I am still for it! Since I homeschool, we still have the paddle in our ‘school’!
@TwoPts4Honesty - And that is exactly where the line needs to be drawn too. My brother, who is special education, was pit-falled by his 2nd grade teacher and called stupid in front of other fellow class mates and told him that he was stupid. Teachers can be just as, if not worse, than the kids. It took him until almost the 8th grade to be open with his fellow students and have fun with them. He even had to receive speech therapy because of her. Teachers need to be taught to control their tounge as well as the kids do.
@GodlyWoman83 - “Then obviously I am a mindless zombie in your books.“
That depends. Are your motivations in doing things because you want to get to heaven or are afraid to go to hell, or because you think they are the right things to do (leaving religion out of it)?
“I must not have finished HS with 3 seals and college in less than a
year and half for a 2 year degree as well as take on other majors too.“
Your education is somewhat independent from your education. Again, its a matter of thinking about actions in terms of what you feel actually help or harm other people or yourself. Not just from what you are told are good or bad. Right or Wrong. Everything is different based on situations. If all you teach people is to fear punishment and follow, if they encounter a situation they are unfamiliar with, they cannot possibly have a reaction to it, because they haven’t been taught critical thinking skills.
It might help. The current punishments are a little lame really.
@sahel578 - “The fear of corporal punishment taught me discipline. It never taught
me not to think for myself, but it did teach me to think before
speaking.“
When did you get hit, and why? And now that you don’t get hit for these behaviors, do you never do them anymore?
I think lack of discipline both at home and at school is definately part of the problem. When I was in school, even as late as 1999, the principal could give swats with the parents’ permission. My parents always gave permission (and frankly, I liked it better than detention LOL)!
I think that the parents ought to be doing the swatting. I am old enough to remember teachers discipline…including making me wash my mouth out with soap for speaking Spanish. For that reason alone, if a teacher touched my kid there would be a problem.
I received Corporal Punishment (swatting with a paddle) for not turning in my homework. I thought it was a bit excessive, but my mom did SIGN THE WAIVER for the School Principle to use Corporal Punishment when necessary. She didn’t expect me to receive it for NOT turning in HOMEWORK though, rather than be disrespectful and disruptive in Class, etc. I think there should be some set specific guidelines for swatting.
But if it were me, I wouldnt want no teacher or principle, or even a friend laying their hands on my child. I spank my children, they’re MINE to spank. Period.
We had one of these at camp. It was called “Sweetie Pie” and had a set of big red lips painted on it. No one ever wanted to be kissed by Sweetie Pie!
Yep. bring it back!
@EarthsAzureLight - The only time that I was actually swatted was in Grade 2, for talking out of turn. It taught me a consequence that I could understand best at that young age.
Well when i was in school, they did have swats. but they gave us a choice of getting swats or in school suspension. i always chose iss. lol. but they also had it set up where the parent could decide whether or not to allow the school to even give us this option. or just swats or just iss. I like that idea better, i think it should be up to the parent how their child is punished.
@sahel578 - I was taught a similar lesson at that age. When I interrupted someone, a firm “Frank, be quiet and wait your turn, you wouldn’t want someone to interrupt you while you’re speaking would you? It’s very rude.”
Just as effective for children who can think, I believe.
Paddling can be the best form of discipline in some situations. But today’s parents would never allow it.
I wrote a blog entry about this very subject, and I added in a citation of research to support what I’m saying: In general Authoritative parenting is superior to Authoritarian parenting.
I’m really not sure about that. It would greatly help, but I wonder about some of the parents who are against spanking. I’m not personally opposed to spanking but my parents are and I was never spanked in my life. I guess I’m torn on this issue
despite it’s being an unpopular method, spanking is very effective and to the point: x action will produce y result of discipline. it did a very nice job of keeping order in schools for as long as it was used (notice school shootings and school crime spiked after swatting was brought into disuse??)
however, as the mother of one child and awaiting the birth of my second- i prefer only family discipline my children in that way- and of family only us parents and our parents. I would like (assuming I would send my children to a God-forsaken public school, which is not going to happen so far as I can help it) for school authorities to call and inform me in the incident of a problem- they’d have the rest of the school day to dread what awaits them at home and ponder why their behavior is wrong.
in a large sense parents are to blame for not instilling and enforcing good behavior in their children from a young age and demanding good behavior from them as they are under the authority of their teachers at school. too often (and i know too well, my mother has subbed for and worked at my childhood middle school for going on 9 years- i’ve heard the horror stories she and school staff go through) parents refuse to hear that their child caused trouble and fight teeth and nail to defend their child’s obviously out of line actions. if kids know that they can do what they want cuz Ma and Pa won’t listen to the teacher- what do you think those children will behave like in school? that wasn’t a trick question, btw…
Do you think teachers should be able to swat kids?
In a way, teacher are stand-in parents during school time. Parents cede some of their authority to school teachers for the education process.
Nowadays, there is enough heterogenity in parenting philosphies that many many parents would not swat their kids themselves or cede authority of butt-swatting to the teachers of their children.
So should teachers be able to swat their students? I would say no– not all parents would raise their kids that way.
Yes.
yes. The school I went to in 5th grade still used swatting.
@EarthsAzureLight - and its not rude to call someone a mindless obedient zombie because you disagree with them?
within reason, yes.
I think the disclipline should be up to the parents.
@sahel578 - “and its not rude to call someone a mindless obedient zombie because you disagree with them?”
It may be, but that’s not what I said. What I said was: “That doesn’t teach people to think for themselves at all. Basically you would be raising kids to be mindless obedient zombies.“
You can take that to mean whatever you think it means.
@WiLD4SURFiNG - Make that Principal******** please excuse my error LOL
No. I think it is a parent’s job not the school to paddle. With correction comes love. Does the teacher/principal love these children? I don’t think so.
Well, while I am for corporal punishment I really would want to be notified beforehand and I would need to see a policy and sigh off on it before I would allow it for my child. This may be a bit protective but I personally feel that there are some scary people in the world and I don’t want a unknown person to me randomly swatting my child without my consent.
ROFL, because detention and suspension really works as discipline…
It would probably help.
My very own personal opinion is NO. It makes the child hate school more. Disciplinary action such as swatting should be reserved to older family members, not school teachers.
We could sure do with a return to some form of discipline in the UK. In my day we had the cane. I never got it, but made sure I behaved so I never did!!
That type of discipline should be left to the parents.
Maybe. Discipline at school should be an extension of discipline at home. If it is done at all, it should only be done with the parents’ permission.
NO WAY NO HOW. It may have worked in the past when you could trust the morality of those with your child. But in this world there is NO WAY I would trust a stranger to punish my child in that way. I choose NOT to spank and choose other forms of discipline that work for our family, why would I give a complete stranger the right to HURT my child?
yes and no. Alot of people now adays also use their “power” in the wrong ways or out of context. If it was used correctly then yea. Something deff. needs to be done in the area of disceplining children.
As a person who experienced more of those that I can count, I’d say “let them swat.”
Hmmm, not sure. I remember in 4th grade ( 10 years ago or so) my teacher pulled 2 kids by the ear to the principal’s office when they were fighting, haha. I mean that’s not swatting, but nowadays even a hug can be bad. But it’s something to think about because teachers are the ones raising the kids today. Not the parents. Obviously the parents do not do anything.
btw, how old are you? I always expected a guy in their 20s.
We had paddling when I was in elementary school…but I think the bigger problem overall is a general ability for educators to punish kids. Think about the articles here that Dan has posted and wehave raised hell about the “injustice” of those situations.
If I had children, I would allow the school to paddle them if they were out of line.
@huginn - That is true that not all parents do spank their children, however, there was ALWAYS a release form for the parents to sign if they agreed to this kind of discipline. It was not automatically assumed that the educators could spank a child.
My parents always spanked me if I disobeyed and honestly I think it was a good thing. But for teachers to do it…I dunno. I’m afraid some teachers have really bad anger problems and would take it beyond “punishment” and more along the lines of abuse.
@Momentkeeper - Ah, kk. I gathered this a bit later as I read other comments.
I went rose from K-12 in public schools in the greater Los Angeles area. I’ve never had first-hand encounters with the paddle. =P
I don’t know if I believe that teachers should swat kids, but I do know that there is no way in hell that kids should be allowed to be such a pussy group like they are now. Kids can do whatever they want to, and teachers need to watch out because it might turn out to be the newest lawsuit. Sad. There is nothing wrong with discipline.
only if what the child did to deserve the swatting had something to do with hitting other kids. if teachers use swatting as punishment, they’re only teaching those kids that its okay to hit younger kids, which might eventually turn into child abuse when they have kids of their own
Corporal punishment (the “board of education”) was just taken for granted when I was at school. That would be more acceptable than what the PE coach used to do – line up all the boys naked out of the shower with wet towels to “pop” the miscreant as he left the shower. Running the gauntlet he used to call it. Pervert.
In this day and age, the kids would just swat back. I know I would have. I’d jam that thing down their throat and cut them. But then I was never an unruly student.
The only one allowed to beat my kids is me.
I’ve never encountered swatting back in my school days. :
Honestly, the whole concept of disciplining children should be left up to the parents. I wouldn’t let a teacher hit do that. :
I wouldn’t want any teacher swatting my child. Tell me about it and let me swat my own child.
No but the school can call me and I would be glad to go up there and swat my own child if the situation warranted. I have heard and seen some pretty horrible injuries from overly aggressive swats.
Yes, they should. Kids have no respect, and in a lot of cases, they don’t get disciplined at home. Which is really sad. My parents never hit me, but I knew if I did something bad, they would. That fear kept me straight, and that’s what we need to put back into the schools.
It might help keep kids in line, however the psychological and emotional effects of it could outweigh the pros.
No way!! It is cruel to hit someone-I can’t believe you had the swatting board at your school! Teaching right from wrong is a moral thing, not a physical beating…
It worked back then. Probably wouldn’t work now.
A student would probably shoot the teacher later XD
It would never be allowed to happen..
Too many people are against stuff like that..
Like me!
That wouldn’t solve anything..
It’ll just create more hate..
Kinky
are you … a better person for it?
I dont know if I mind a belt or hand but a freaking board of wood – I always thought it was kinda cruel and it definitly encouraged me not to misbehave. but nowdays it does not happen – too much liability. I think the problem with our school system is that there are so many children who do not want to be there.. as well as, swatting at a middle or highschooler does not hurt them OR it hurts too much and they would sue. Detention is ok I guess but for kids who are bored and have no life it does not really seem to detter them.
Daniel (doubledb)
I’m very open to the idea. My parents used spanking as a punishment sometimes, and I think it was often very effective.
I think that it helps some students, but some who really get a thrill out of misbehaving will misbehave anyway, and brag about their swats. Swats alone will not help the situation, but it might help some.
We had checkmarks on the board. One meant that you stayed in. Two meant that you would get the ruler and have to stand in the corner. Three meant you had it! I think she had a belt. Hard to remember. I only got one checkmark my whole year.
I think it is a deterrent, but I think one person should be responsible. We used to see kids getting lifted down to the principal’s office. I think if everyone practiced some 50′s and 60′s training both at home and at school, you wouldn’t see half of the problems you see today.
they still do where I went to school…but usually the coaches come up with better punishments than swats…
No! Hitting is taking the easy way out. Control by fear may produce good grades but will not produce thinking people who care about learning. God forbid parents and teachers actually try to teach their kids personal responsibility and morals.
No way…hitting a child is not an effective form of punishment.
It could be a good idea if the teachers were all disciplined themselves, but there are some corrupt teachers who would do bad things with that power. It just wouldn’t work the way everyone would hope it would.
I was exceptionally good in school and it had nothing to do with the fear of being hit.
I think the teachers should be able to.
Not teachers, sorry, parents.
Definitely not in a public school!!! Private school? Do what you like, as long as there is no lasting psychological, physical, or emotional damage to the child (swatting should definitely not be used for elementary school students, for example).
@GodlyWoman83 - “I think if we would have put the fear of God and discipline in our
children/young teenagers, they wouldn’t be lashing out in such a way.”
I totally agree that parents should be doing more to discipline their children, but I think it would be a shame to use diety as an object of fear in order to get one’s children to do what they’re asked. I think children should listen to their parents out of love and respect, not out of fear that diety will one day intervene or deal out unthinkable reprocussions.
btw, hitting children has the same effect as does hitting adults: it makes them resentful bastards.
Anyway, to answer the question, I think teachers (at least in public schools) need to figure out some other way of gaining respect and disciplining children. Some parents are totally against any sort of corporal punishment, and if a parent isn’t willing to hit their child, a teacher shouldn’t be able to either.
No. It’s not their place. We need better parents.
This was the exact reason my mom ALWAYS chapheroned on my brothers’ and my field trips: “If you misbehave, the teachers may not be able to hit you, but I can, and will.”
@GodlyWoman83 -
oh, I agree that’s horrible. no one should be belittled in any way by persons in a position of authority, especially in front of others! I don’t understand how they can’t see how wrong it is!
@enigmatic_intent - Exactly! I just wrote a blog about this if you want to see it.
yes.
NO! I got whipped once for something I didn’t do. Yea…I was going to a private school at the time.
in loco parentis baby. If teachers could administer it fairly and all other courses of action were without results, then yes.
I remember one time my math teacher in seventh grade was going to give Nata M. a swat for some infraction but this was in the days of mini skirts and since he was not able to have her “assume the position” and swat her without her being immodest, she got off with a warning. Maybe cross dressing has it’s advantages?
corporal punishment is hardly effective without a valid explanation.
while i actually think that teachers should be able to show some force to children in the classroom i can already predict that a debate over the level of force appropriate would nullify any attempts to return to this style of discipline.
No. Violence doesn’t solve any problems.
I was a terrible kid and I got a swat every year from 2nd grade through 9th grade. It didn’t change me at all.
No.
Forget the schools. Where do I get one of those paddles?
Hell yeah, it kept my ass in line as late as the 90s. It would still work if parents stopped being wusses and let the teachers discipline the kids when needed. Dont expect a person to be in control of your child for 6-8hrs a day and not be able to discipline them. That time out shit is for the birds, swat some asses!
I think so, yes. The holes though – unnecessary.
And I never got paddled, or even detention until 6th grade – when I had detention everyday, but it was for not doing homework. :]
Yes, but the school should also have teachers they trust, but I don’t know how that goes in public school with teachers, I was home schooled
You can raise a child without spanking them, and they often appreciate it. While spanking may produce a short-term effect of getting the child to behave, you have to look at the long-term. If a child, who is still developing mind you, sees that violence solves issues quick and easy, what do you think will happen when they become adults? Spanking helps nobody, and only serves to give teachers a sense of power that they don’t have.
Nope, definately not. For two reasons, neither of which being that I am still a student in school.
1. ) I really dont care about the morons that don’t try hard in school. If they fail they can do it on their own because I’m going to be the one who ends up with a good job and pay in the future.
2. ) There are already too many things that interupt classes at school and not enough time to deal with students that way.
No. It is up to the parents to discipline their child. Also, think about it… If a boss hit an employee, they would be charged with assault. I think what we need to do is have real-life consequences. Im not saying dont discipline your kids… I mean, if they get poor grades, they get poor rewards. Such as the relationship between doing well in your job and getting raises and whatnot. A teacher cant fire a kid, but they can fail them, or kick them out of class, or expell them. Which is essentially the same power as an employer.
Yes.
As a teacher in a school with very obnoxious, destructive students I’d say yes, it should be brought back.
A lot of students threaten me that they’ll sue me if I touch them or that it is illegal to touch them (and they don’t mean hit, they mean touch them). Many of us teachers are afraid to touch the kids at all, even in a friendly reassuring way. I would just love to be able to threaten to use some sort of physical force. As it stands now a student hit me, and I am pretty damn sure that if I had hit that student back, even in self defense, that I would have been fired.
Right now things are crazy.
I’d swat them back if I were the kid. And if anyone touched my kid without my consent, I’d break their neck.
I went to a baptist private school and they allowed paddling. Never happend to me, but the urban legends about the horrors of getting paddled were enough to keep most kids in line. I think only 1 kid (from my class anyway) got paddled the whole time I was there, but the little bastard had it coming.
what if a kid is into OTK and the paddling gives him sexual pleasure? The last thing schools want is to end up with a sexual assault/harassment or kiddie buggering law suit!
OK, but really I think the threat of being paddled should be there but the actual use of it as punishment should be minimal.
@Ex_Adyto_Cordis - Yeah, thats another good point. I don’t know about anyone elses school, but at my school, you hit about 75 % of the students and you’re going to end up in the hospital or at least with a black eye or finger nail marks down your face. Not well for the teachers.
My parents sent me overseas for a year to learn their language. All the teachers practiced negative reinforcement with rulers, gluegun sticks, etc. There were other punishments like holding to buckets of water for a period of time, or squating…. Well, you get the picture. I’ll tell you, they don’t discriminate against females or foreigners. And I was usually punished because my test scores were not up to par. Personally, I don’t think the negative punishment helped me work harder towards getting better grades. However, I do believe that if a student misbehaves, teachers need something they can use, like bathroom cleanup duties. Because I’ve done a little teaching and sending a student to the office or talking to parents doesn’t always work.
I worked at a private school in south Louisiana for one year. Swatting was administered by the teacher against whom the offense was dealt. I had to swat 2 different boys (one of them twice) I can say that I did not enjoy the experience of swatting, but the prelude was always good.
I didn’t keep a paddle in my room. I would tell the ‘perp’ that he needed to go to the principal’s office and ask to borrow his paddle. This caused anxiety and I think that was more effective than the swatting. I know; emotional cruelty.
i honestly dont think that’d go over well in my school. it’d prlly make things worse with some kids.
YES. Hit ‘em.
They’re kids – they live a need-based life. They don’t understand that talking out in class/not doing homework/being a brat/etc. might affect their schoolwork and grade. But they will understand that if they talk back, they’re getting a swat.
I’m not to sure on whether I think it’s right or wrong, but I do think it would teach some of the kids today a lesson.
I think teachers should be able to. I’m from Jamaica and I believe it’s good discipline.
In private school they do
I got spankings a lot growing up, both at school and home!
i’m a teacher and i wouldn’t do it.
my students are high schoolers but even so. i would never publicly humiliate my student like that. ever. verbally or physically. the thought never even enters my mind.
My principal always pulled down my pants before beating my butt then I would go home and get the same treatment from my parents. No, I don’t think teachers should be swatting children, but parents should do whatever it takes to demand respect.
Heck yeah!!! It works. When’s the last time you heard about Michael Fay getting into trouble?!
yes
For some groups of kids.
if he’s hitting that hard.. that’s on the verge of child abuse..
i agree with msbutterfli.. at this time, everyone’s getting sued for everything..
No, but the parents should be able to do so without the fear of being accused for child abuse.
I’d say swat away since parents aren’t doing anything these days. -_-
Oh yeah! But you know it will never happen!
my chinese school teacher used to hit me with a yardstick
one day, i grabbed it from her and whacked her back and climbed up a tree, where she couldn’t get me
that was the best day of my life
Well… I was a good kid. I think I got detention once or twice and during high school I was never tardy. I still think it’s wrong though, just the threat of a pink slip or detention was enough to send me to the “suck up” category. If I knew that I would have been hit for doing something bad… I would have been quieter than a mute person.
hey I know, why don’t we do the same thing for adults too? Let’s bring back the stocks, and stoning, and lashes for any criminal! And instead of cops giving out speeding tickets, why don’t they just pull us out of the car, and start beating the crap out of us with their batons! I mean, have you seen how many speeders there are out there on the road? Adults just don’t have any sense anymore, and they don’t realize the consequences of their actions. I mean, they could really hurt somebody going that fast! Obviously, the whole ticket thing isn’t working. It’s too namby-pamby. We need to regulate through pain, and fear of pain.
And I think that everytime an employee is late to work, the boss should be able to just punch him in the face. Man, Woman, or 14 year old kid with a work-permit, they need to learn their lesson.
And you know what really needs to be brought back? Double Jeopardy. Who cares if they already got punished once for a crime? They should be punished as many times as possible. Kids, Adults, and Elderly. Every time someone breaks a rule, any rule, they should be punished by their immediate supervisor or teacher, then that persons boss or principal, then get punished when they get home by mom (or their significant other), then when Dad gets home they should really get it. I mean, one paddling just isn’t enough these days!
I just don’t like the idea of teacher hitting kids. They should be punished other ways. Violence is not the best solution to everything.
I don’t know, I’m torn on this issue.
My husband, who attended Catholic school in elementary school, says the fear of physical punishment made them behave better. I went to a crunchy granola school and we never got punished. I don’t ever remember any of us ever really misbehaving, either.
If corporal punishment was allowed in my state when my kids were younger, I would not have allowed them to be hit as I don’t believe that physical punishment or the threat of it does anything to help children learn how to self-regulate their behavior.
However, these days, there are so many uncontrollable children in school who disrupt the learning environment for kids who want to learn; the schools need to do something.
My gut feeling, though, is that inflicting pain on a child really just seems so barbarian.
There are so many, much better ways to discipline kids and get their respect than by threatening violence. The best teachers I’ve known were good b/c they knew how to get their students to respect them and look up to them, something that works so much better than commanding fear alone.
Discipline is NOT and either-or, all-or-nothing scenario. It IS possible to have well-behaved children without resorting to violence (and refusing to use violence does NOT automatically mean letting kids do whatever they want). I really wish people could see that.
NO! NO ONE should be “hitting” or “swatting” our children while at school. HOWEVER…. I will say, my children would much rather have a teacher deal with them, than face me, when I pick them up if they were to act out in school.
NUFF SAID
No. It’s fucking sadistic.
Shit yes… I can remember being flat hand spanked in Kindergarden and 1st grades.. I was scared to death of my teachers and it caused me to have a certin respect for them.. it all starts in the home but once they leave the house, they know you arent there to spank them.. why not bring it back.. look at kids these days.. bad.. so bad.
The problem with this is: who watches the teacher? Power like that can very easily be abused.
’nuff said…
um, no.
No, teachers shouldn’t be able to use physical/corporal punishment. Parents aren’t even allowed to do that without the risk of being accused of child abuse, but for an outsider to do such a thing actually is abuse. Parents, not the system, have the only God-given authority there is over their children.
Absolutely. And soap for the filthy mouths too.
It is never EVER okay to hit anyone unless they are defending themself. Children should be taught to fear adults, they should be rewarded for good behavior and punished for bad behavior (like detention or suspention), not taught to fear anything less than perfection.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with it as long as it’s reserved for when it is really needed. They gave them at our school and I had one teacher in 6th grade who gave them out for not getting your homework done! I didn’t feel that was an appropriate punishment. I got paddled twice for that because I accidentally didn’t get the assignments completed and I was a straight A student! I got a total of four in school…two for talking in class and two for incomplete Math assignments. I also had parents who told me upfront that if I got swats at school I would get them at home too…although they at least had the same mindset as me that an accidentally incompleted assignment didn’t warrant swats and didn’t administer them at home in those cases. My parents were very much spare the rod and spoil the child people and while I hated it at the time…I have to say I think I turned out pretty well and far better than my cousins who’s mother admonished my mother for spanking me saying she could never hit an extention of herself. They were total brats!
@hllrider - Adults who hit their children are accused of child abuse because it is child abuse. A good parent should be able to demand respect without ever having harm their child. Children should not have to fear their parents in order to behave. Good parents can teach their children to behave properly through healthy parenting techniques.
Gee, it would see the law suit aspect would prevent this time ole favorite from making a come back-
@sk8erboi4ever926 - One swat open handed to the posterior to get a childs attention is not child abuse. Hitting that child with anything other that that open hand would be overstepping the bounds of a parent. When we as parents give in to our own anger while disciplining a child, we give way to abuse with no regard how our behavior will impacvt that child later on. Not all physical discipline is child abuse. That is why we refer to it as discipline. Just as any other discipline, whether it be with martial arts, yoga, or anything else we do to discipline ourselves, we must show restraint in somethings while developing our strengths in others. It is drastic, that much I can conceed, but abuse? Hardly
I know a LOT of people are going to disagree with but, I think it should be allowed. A huge majority of kids are becoming useless degenerates in a spoiled downwarding spiral. Maybe it’s just because I’m from New York, but I think it’s everywhere else like that too. I don’t think a slap on the hand is going to stop anyone though. Plus, everyone knows how hungry this country is about suing each other for money. Parents will choose to “sue the system” and see what they can get out of it. Things like this really disgust me sometimes…
To stay on topic though, I kind of think that it would be a good idea if we still had it today, so little kids would try to focus more on their work than their psps.
i think the way it’s done (at least where i go to school) is good. basically, in order to use corporal punishment (physical punishment) the teacher must have written parental permission. there are a couple of teachers who have my parent’s permission (mostly as a joke, but i have been smacked a couple of times, and once when i really pissed off my “mentor”- everyone has one at my school- i got shook up pretty bad- but then again, so did he). i think if parent’s say it ok, then it’s fine, but otherwise it shouldn’t be used anymore.
no.
no… actually i got swatted by one of my kindergarten teachers… it was so stupid -_-
Nah, kids these days wouldn’t be scared.
They’d go home and whine to their parents who’d call the school board and complain.
Stuff like that doesn’t work anymore.
ye but i would hit hem back, deppending on the htiing average,
NO WAY. How rude.
no. fear of physical harm is not the way to get children to obey. it also publicly humialtes students, which is just disrespectful.
I am not against it as long as there are some guidelines in place to keep it from being misused.
they did back then. lol
yes
Yeah! Intrinsic motivation fails us because direct, apparent motivation has disapeared. Give kids instantaneous consequences they can understand.
@hllrider -
Those are two completely different meanings of ‘discipline.’ Disciplining your child is quite different than taking up a new discipline (teaching your child vs. learning for yourself).
Anyway, I still think that you should not have to touch your child. My mother never touched me as a child and I grew up to be a great person: good grades, no drugs or alcohol, etc.
I know it’s a really stupid punishment to take away a kid’s cell phone, but parents shouldn’t be spoiling their kids with stuff like that anyway. That’s why it’s so hard discipline kids these days; children know that all they have to do is pester their parents and they’ll get whatever they want. What seventh grader honestly needs a cell phone? If a kid wants a new Xbox or something, they can save up and get it. If parents didn’t spoil their kids rotten, they wouldn’t need to resort to drastic measures.
Sure. Worked for the hardy pilgrims.
No, I don’t think teachers should be allowed to swat kids.
I don’t think that teachers should be able to swat kids. Some of them do need a swift smack from their parents though.