What are your views on corporal punishment in schools?

Friday 29th August, 06:30 AM JST

Latest 15 of 56 Total Comments Show All

GeorgeRoper at 09:58 AM JST - 30th August

I think they should have good old fashioned corporal punishment. They need to respect authourity.
cleo at 10:41 AM JST - 30th August

what I am saying there is that there is NO need for corporal　punishment if you got the right teachers.

I couldn't agree more. And if they're not the right teachers, I don't want them anywhere near my kids anyway.
tclh at 11:36 AM JST - 30th August

..and where you can find the "right teachers"? Maybe the "right teachers" are also very smart and go to good schools to teach, less stress more satisfaction,don't you think? Every individual is different,there is no such thing as one-size-fits-all; and I think corporal punishment must be allowed and used as the LAST resort.
TheNewZen at 11:50 AM JST - 30th August

For me a good teacher is as much a teacher as friend and mentor.

And many of those are found in low-income areas because they care about their students and NOT their bank balance. You will know them when you meet them.

I only attended goverment schools and those teachers earned little, stil friends with many and that is some 20+ years after I left school. Yeah, I covered for their mistakes and they covered for mine.

Like I said they were more friends and mentors than goverment officials. I could go to them with any problem at any time and they would be there to help/assist.

That for me is a good teacher, not someone that stand there gives lectures and than goes home to a fancy home from a big salary.

Example: One of my history teachers was jewish(not uncommon in austria), I helped him compile a demo about the holocaust after hours. I learned more about my countries involvement(mauthausen and things were worse than auschwitz)、than he ever taught in class. He never (as most jews, etc I know) held a grudge but accepted history as it was. My aunt is an orthodox jew.

He was also friends with my folks and we ate supper at his place, etc. He loved to tell jiddish jokes both in class and outside. Most of us viennese can speak jiddish too.

This for me is a good teacher/mentor.
NuckinFutz at 02:47 PM JST - 30th August

I don't agree with it and any teacher laying a hand on (or verbally abusing) either of my children will face assault charges and a civil lawsuit.
ColAmerica at 03:15 PM JST - 30th August

NuckinFutz; If the government introduced corporal punishment into law, a lawsuit may be of little help, unless of course the beating was too severe.

I was beaten at my school and by my father, it didn`t harm me. I was instilled with respect for rules and regulation and authority.

That being said, i do not punish my children using physical means.

This is a very complex issue, and i would imagine the question was posted primarily to achieve a high amount of posts.
serindipity at 04:10 PM JST - 30th August

buggerlugs - Also a note for all you purists out there who think a child should never be smacked, when you have kids you may comment on it. if you have kids I wish you luck with your future psychos.

So, you are saying that children who are never smacked grow up to be psychos? - Children who are not disciplined grow up to be psychos. Children who are not smacked grow up without bruises from their psycho parents.

Back on topic: No person has the right to inflict pain on any other person, period! Whether it is disciplinary or not. I grew up in the generation where caning was an accepted disciplinary measure at primary and high school. It had very little effect for disciplining unruly students. It was more effective in creating martyrs that became even more undisciplined playground heroes. Furthermore, if a teacher was to ever inflict any kind of pain on any of my children they would find themselves at the wrong end of a confrontation with a very large and angry Aussie.
helloklitty at 07:00 PM JST - 30th August

I was walking to get my daily paper a couple of months ago, and some school boys started shouting "spam head" and "baldy" in reference to my high forehead.

I love these opportunities to teach them. One future inmate thought it would be funny to flip me off. I made a beeline to his chair the instant he did it. Then I flipped him off and stood in front of him for about 30 seconds which probably felt like 30 years to him.

Remeber, the bullies are cowards. It's a fact, Jack. Get in their faces. Calling you names, means they get to feel very uncomfortable and intimidated. Keep yourself in good shape, too, just in case they force you to defend yourself.
cwhite at 08:03 PM JST - 31st August

no, no, and no... Never been hit, never seen anyone been hit and nothing good comes out of being hit (except that you might hit back) If you do believe you need to smack a kid then obviously something is already seriously wrong, the problem should have been fixed long before it got to that point.

Just to put that into perspective, have you ever heard of a dog training centre that trains dogs by beating them? Obviously not... then why would humans think hitting smaller humans would have any positive outcome.

And yes, we've already done this topic many times before. I do remember Cleo's wonderful comments. Pity some parents resort to violence or whatever you want to call it... what worked on them will surely work on their kids...
GeorgeRoper at 08:13 PM JST - 31st August

cwhite; What do you propse to do with thugs who terrorise the neighbourhood, with parents who don`t care and police who do not punish.

If you suffered like we have to corporal punishment may seem like a good choice. Don`t ignore others suffering, why should the thugs not have corporal punishment for making our lives a misery?

Strewth, we are victims, living in fear, nothing else works, so why not try good old fashioned whackings?

Me and Jerry had the cane loads of times, but we never bullied old people.
cwhite at 10:50 PM JST - 31st August

Hello GeorgeRoper, good question, I hope you have a good answer for it. But, on a larger scale that's exactly the kind of thinking that countries go to war for.

Like I said what works for you will probably work for your kids. However, Corporal Punishment in schools is just not right. Pull them out of school, kick them out, call the police, do what ever you need, but hitting them probably won't change their attitude. Maybe smacking from a loving parent and they know they are loved works, but cold canning's from a school teacher? If the parents don't care then society has bigger problems and need to educate the parents so it never gets to that point.

Drastic measures need to be taken for some and maybe a change in society will help like few months boot camp or preferably helping out some NPO group in the middle of a 3rd world country. Building wells can be fun.
cwhite at 10:51 PM JST - 31st August

I meant "change in scenery" ....
Blue_Tiger at 11:00 PM JST - 1st September

As far as the USA goes, I believe a lot of student problems would be cutrtailed if corporal punishment were reintroduced, or had been continued from the `80s. Ditto that for what I've experiencedi n Japan, so far....
OgieDoggie at 03:03 AM JST - 3rd September

Bottom line...if they don't respect their parents at home they won't respect a at school teacher...that is the basic problem.

A good teacher can make a difference but there are so few GOOD teachers (and for what they get paid no wonder).
OgieDoggie at 03:06 AM JST - 3rd September

excuse my last post...let me try again.

Bottom line...if they don't respect their parents at home they won't respect their teacher's at school...that is the basic problem (Japan,USA,Austrila..eg) country doesn't matter..global problem.

A good teacher can make a difference but there are so few GOOD teachers (and for what they get paid no wonder).