Essays Contents
Corporal Punishment
April 30, 2024
Corporal Punishment
wikipedia
A corporal punishment or a physical punishment is a punishment
which is intended to cause physical pain to a person.
When it is inflicted on minors, especially in home and school
settings, its methods may include spanking or paddling.
When it is inflicted on adults,
it may be inflicted on prisoners and slaves.
Physical punishments for crimes or injuries, including floggings, brandings
and even mutilations, were practised in most civilizations since ancient times.
With the growth of humanitarian ideals since the Enlightenment, such
punishments are increasingly viewed as inhumane in Western society.
By the late 20th century, corporal punishment had been eliminated
from the legal systems of most developed countries.
After my essay about
School Lunches
I pictured a happy school day with students settled in with a good
breakfast and a good lunch... and maybe even looking forward to a
piece of banana bread for an afternoon snack. I wondered how many
problems there would be with students misbehaving... if they were fed
and cared about... if school wasn't seen as an enemy or a prison.
I thought that having a "teachers helper" each
day... for odd tasks and errands... would be uplifting and allow a child
to feel trusted and responsible for something important.
Teachers surely ought to be trained in the arts of inspiring their students.
I picture those "old days" when obedience was enforced with a stick,
or a board, or a whip... a few smacks on the knuckles or the palms of a student with
a wooden ruler... a ruler that was always tapping on a table or a chalk board.
Misbehavior was not tolerated and every teacher was allowed to render their
physical corrections at will. Now... although corporal punishment has generally ceased...
parents may still sign permission papers to allow it.
As the old saying goes...
"first you have to get their attention."
Corporal punishment was commonly practiced when I was in public schools in the 1960's.
I was once told a story about a guy in high school who got pulled out of class by
a female teacher... no, not an old hag teacher... with issues... she was a young hag teacher...
with issues... whose choice of paddle was a wooden spanking board. The student was told
to bend over and grab his ankles... and the swat or swats came. In this story
I had been told... at least one of her swats went crooked... and she hit his
buttocks with the narrow edge of the board... not the flat side of the board.
Hmmm... can't remember if the deep bruises resulted in a lawsuit.
As for me... I had a first-grade teacher who used a strip of rubber off of a tire. I would
have been about six years old at the time. Whippings were truly a thing to fear in
THAT class. On occasion, she (the teacher) would take a disobedient student into another
class room to receive a few swats with that rubber whip... allowing the other class of kids
to observe the consequences of misbehavior. You could hear the yells and
screams of the punished child all the way into our... classroom. Oh... the horror.
One day... well, I must have done something wrong or improper... maybe I had been
talking during class or sneaking a piece of candy to eat... because all of a sudden the
teacher was talking... to me... and telling me to
"get up and follow her."
You know, I can't swear by this... it having happened so long ago... but... I have a foggy
memory of becoming hysterical. I refused to go. I wouldn't get up... and I wouldn't allow
her to touch me... and I screamed and wept in terror. I may have had to go home, too.
Like I said, the memory is a bit foggy.
I do remember something else a bit more clearly... from that same school year.
All the kids in the neighborhood would gather for the school bus every morning... and
my mother told me that if I EVER missed the school bus that I'd get a whipping...
so I was quite inspired to NEVER miss that bus. Well, one morning... there was
a dog fight... between two neighborhood dogs... right in the middle of all the kids
waiting for the bus. In those days, all the dogs ran freely in
the street, and played right along with the kids.
I was friends with all the dogs... or I thought that I was. When I saw two of
my dog friends fighting viciously... well, I dang well was going to stop this.
I bravely got in the middle of it and tried to pull them apart... saying
"stop this right now."
As quick as the blink of an eye... one of them bit me on my rump. The fight
quickly ended when the dog realized what it had done... and then the bus arrived.
I was bleeding a little and my older brother told me to go home and show Mom.
My brother mercilessly teased me all the time... and I didn't trust him one bit.
I didn't have time to go home and get a bandaid... and so I got on the bus.
I was not taking the chance that I'd get in big trouble for missing the bus.
"I'll just get a bandaid from my teacher," I said. And so... I went into class
early before school started... with everyone else outside until the bell rang...
and asked teacher for a bandaid... "I might need two bandaids."
"What do you want a bandaid for?"
"A dog bit me, but it's okay. I just need a bandaid."
"Can I see where the dog bit you?"
Had to call my mother. Had to go to doctor. Had to get five stitches.
Consequences... is so well-defined in a quick physical beating.
Sometimes consequences is too complicated for a young mind to understand.
For most of mankind's history... living in this world didn't have a lot of educated
explanations or psychological skills... and there were dangers that children
should know clearly that they were to avoid. Even in our easy modern world we will
swat a small toddler's fingers to teach them dangers... saying "that's hot!"
or "do NOT touch that."
Alternatively... you could quickly embrace a child and say,
"oh no, that will hurt my baby!!" (with a small sprinkling of fear in the voice)...
or... instead of just saying "no" to something...
to actually take the time to explain the possibilities of what might occur... if they did it.
"You must be very careful with that pretty dish or it might drop and break.
Handle it with both hands... and don't walk with it. Uh oh... let's put it up and just
look at it. Isn't it PRETTY?"
or... you might be in a store and the child very much wants a certain toy.
"Oh, yes! Look at that wonderful thing! We can look at it... but we can't get it today."
or...
"Remember what I told you... if you act badly I won't bring you again for a long time.
Babies can't be making noise in the store. Babies must behave very nicely."
Learning obedience is one lesson... learning life is another.
So... if corporal punishment is nearly non-existant in public schools...
how do teachers maintain order and routine? How do they control kids?!!
If order and routine are the maxim... then teachers, too, must follow
those rules. In fact, they should be skilled in HOW to diffuse a bad
situation with their own self-control and well-behaved reaction... and HOW to
AVOID creating a bad situation. For instance, a teacher
can allow a 5 minute break halfway through class to let kids go to the
bathroom, get a drink, or have a quick snack. When the break is over...
nothing will be allowed on their desks to distract them.
"Put nothing on your table to distract you from your work.
This is a good practice in all your endeavors... to organize your work...
and set a particular time for a break to refresh yourself."
It's tempting for kids to break the seriousness of a strict environment with comedy...
kids tend to do those things... and if a teacher has no sense of humor that teacher
will become the enemy of their students... not their guide.
Young people need to see HOW to behave in adverse situations... and that HOW
to behave shouldn't be anger, physical beatings, and rejection.
Perhaps a teacher could say:
"We are learning that it is more efficient to organize our tasks and to avoid being
distracted by foolishness. Foolishness can result in someone being hurt. And
that's also why we practice good manners.
We have manners because we must all live together. Manners...
includes a sense of personal honor... and respect for yourself and for others. So, even
when we clash with each other... and disagree... which we often do in a
free society... we must behave well about it... and that... is manners."
I'm thinking that the teacher is not there to be a student's friend. They should
promote an attitude of professionalism about their work. And... similar to other professions...
they would function better if they maintained a respectful distance.
Misbehavior can be addressed in progressive stages.
For minor things... a student can be addressed in private about it. "This is not allowed."
For disruptive behavior... a student can be asked to leave and come back
in... and "start over from the beginning, and apologize for disrupting the class for
others."
If a student just cannot sit still... and be attentive... perhaps struggling with personal
issues... or can't reconcile sitting like a puppet and a "good little boy" in a classroom
environment... there can be classes set up JUST for those kids. "Last stop before
being kicked out of school."
(By that time... the student would be well aware of the seriousness of the situation).
I just can't picture any scenerio where a teacher would physically strike a
child... even an adolescent child. Misbehavior should always be referred... to parents.
Parents need to be the ones to control their kids. Parents can judge what is best for
their children. Parents know much more about personal situations or family
situations than any teacher. It shouldn't be the business of anyone else.
If a student is disruptive... change is required...
a change of schools, perhaps... trying homeschool at Grandma's house for a while... or letting
the young person go to work part-time... until the issues are addressed. Who knows...
but that it could be the fault of the school system itself that a young person finds
intolerable... would not surprise me... not one little bit. I have seen some things in
these schools that I find hard to repeat in an essay.
You have to keep believing in your children.
You should never give up on a child... ever. But it isn't the business of the teacher,
or the principal, or the state to raise your kids... and make those life decisions.
Whatever is done... you shouldn't make criminals out of adolescent struggles.
If the maxim is... to be "orderly and civilized" then the system itself should be an
example of this.
Raising kids in a modern world can be rough... but
I can't think of a single reason why any teacher should even touch a child
or address a child in any hateful or offensive way.
Respect... should be the lesson... learned and practiced by ALL..
Respect..... Responsibility..... Reason..... the three R's
wikipedia
A corporal punishment or a physical punishment is a punishment
which is intended to cause physical pain to a person.
When it is inflicted on minors, especially in home and school
settings, its methods may include spanking or paddling.
When it is inflicted on adults,
it may be inflicted on prisoners and slaves.
Physical punishments for crimes or injuries, including floggings, brandings
and even mutilations, were practised in most civilizations since ancient times.
With the growth of humanitarian ideals since the Enlightenment, such
punishments are increasingly viewed as inhumane in Western society.
By the late 20th century, corporal punishment had been eliminated
from the legal systems of most developed countries.
