Should Schools Be Able To Hit Your Kids?

The community argument is bogus. The "community" at one time or another has approved of slavery, denying women the vote, and child labor. So much for the vaunted community.

I went to an elementary school that allowed corporal punishment and actually got paddled by the principal for something I didn't do. Needless to say, I never trusted any of the adults at that school every again. Can't say it encouraged me to behave either - rather the opposite in fact. If I could get punished for something I didn't do, then what was the point of being good?

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Oops, that was supposed to read "ever again".

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If you hit or "paddle" your child at home until welts appear, the police are called and you get hauled away, to be lock up for child abuse or some other...

and CPS gets called on more case than we can imagine. Your children gets taken away from you.

Why should schools including principal or teachers be indifferent to the laws? Are they not abusing your child[ren]? Shouldn't someone call CPS to protect the children.

If somebody can tell me what the difference is, or enlighten me as to such a case I would much appreciate it. What's good for the goose should be good for the gander too.

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I hate the double-standard--that you can be arrested for hitting another adult (who, in some cases, might actually be able to run away or defend themselves), but it's totally legal in this country to hit children who have no way of defending themselves or any legal recourse. (Not to mention all of the negative psychological effects of spanking/physical punishment, the risks of major harm, etc.)

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I find this article interesting for a few reasons:
1. "James C. Dobson" as written in the article has earned his doctorate degree in psychology and should not be referred to without Dr. in his name. This is a way of discrediting an individual and their views
2. Spanking is a controlled form of punishment, not simply the act of hitting someone. The article uses the terms hit, spank, and beating interchangeably, a way of emotionally charging the controlled act of spanking and turning it into the negatively revered act of hitting or even beating someone.
3. Public schools are government organizations that work for its constituents (property taxpayers), just like all organizations (corporate or governmental) the operations and views of the organization are to be based on those of the general population. Therefore, if the community believes that corporal punishment is acceptable then the school should follow the wishes of its constituents.

I understand that if this was simply written as an editorial, than it is fine for it to include such a strong one sided argument; however, I mistakenly read this initially as a significantly informative article.

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I mistyped under number 3,

an organization is to base its views and goals on those of its owners or in a government on the taxpayers. In the case of a school district, the views should reflect those of the property taxpayers who financially support and technically 'own' the school.

I hope this makes more sense

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The idea of paddling a child is so "out" it makes me speechless...which is hard to do. If any teacher ever touched my child in any way, they would be very, very sorry because I would make sure they never taught again....

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grammar mistake noted.

Now, technically speaking your scenario is possible, but it should never happen. In no way would any sensible majority of Americans vote for an Amendment to the Constitution that bans a qualified black student from the same advanced placement classroom as a qualified while student. On the local level, which I feel your comment is focused, a single school district can attempt a crazy move like this but it should and will be deemed Unconstitutional by ANY court in America.

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By all means, spank their little asses, something they don't get at home....so now it's coming back again. When I went to school in the 50's thru early 60's, we would get our butts, or hands blistered for not having homework turned in on time, speaking out of turn; then when you got home, you got your ass blistered again for bringing embarassment on the family. BRING IT BACK!!

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We were spanked when we went to school (70s-80s) and we are none the worse for wear. Of those of us that were spanked ...not beaten we were punished again at home because we had done something wrong. Ask yourselves this ...why are our kids today so wild? They have no respect for authority noone can touch them not the parents, not the teachers, not the police. They are not held accountable for their actions the parents are. We are the ones fined for illegal behavior by the courts. And the courts then tell us we can not discipline them. Smacking my kids behind with an open hand is alot different than beating my chils black and blue with my fists. And believe me I tried all the new age punishments with my 18 yr old as he grew up....WHAT A JOKE... none worked.

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Absolutely not! Under no circumstances should any child be hit by a teacher or school administrator.

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I'm in favor of corporal punishment in schools. I would prefer for schools to have a policy that does not allow the child's immediate teacher to do the spanking. Preferably one central authority in each school should do it. That would greatly reduce the chances of abuse, as there would be no "heat of the moment" hitting or undocumented paddling.

It is really horrible to see how kids these days completely disrespect their teachers, classrooms, and classmates. I believe that if they knew they could be whacked for their behavior, they would do a lot less damage to the learning environment. Most kids have never actually been paddled, but the knowledge that they "could" was a fairly effective deterrent. Contrast the kids of the "could paddle" era to today's kids, who scornfully inform their teachers and other adults that nothing can be done to them no matter what they do.

I guess I really can't feel too sorry for the teachers as a group, since they are among the bleeding hearts who don't believe in corporal punishment. They don't seem to have come up with a more effective alternative.

Scratch that. I do feel sorry for everyone who is so inexperienced with real discipline that they actually don't understand how corporal punishment works. They are allowing themselves to be led and they, their students, their kids, and everyone around their kids suffer for it.

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I have researched the timeline on this issue and it is my belief that the major problems we are experiencing with children these days and for the past three decades or so is directly associated with several cultural changes that have occured in that time period. One of those changes, a significant one, is the gradual reduction and eventual abandonment of corporal punishment in public schools. While no rational person would advocate the "beating" of a child, there is a compelling argument to be made for the use of strong corrective measures, especially with younger, impressionable children that do not respond to normal discipline. I received moderate corporal punishment (it hurt like hell but did not scar me nor cause lasting pain) from both teachers and my parents when I was a child. At school, it was only given out in response to the most egregious of offenses, smoking in the bathroom, cheating on a test, starting a fight, vandalism. Me, I had a big mouth. Liked to start trouble. That only lasted through middle school. By the time I had reached my teens I had "learned my lesson". I went on to college, earned a couple of degrees and now own a successful business.

There are other contributing factors leading to the decline of childhood discipline and increase in antisocial behavior, as I see it, that are also important. The drastic increase in unplanned pregnancies and the resulting boom in single parent households brought about as a direct result of the "sexual revolution" of the sixties, the introduction of video gaming technolgy which has almost totally replaced after school outdoor physical activity, the dramatic increase in violence and sexually provocative programming on TV, to name a few.

The problem is that virtually everyone, save conservative traditionalists in this country, COMPLETELY IGNORS THE REAL CAUSES. "Modern progressives", as they absurdly refer to themselves, are quick to concoct myriad excuses, most of which describe some obscure, newly described psychological condition treatable only with drugs and long sessions on the therapist's couch for the ills that have befallen our youth. Conditions that blame the very methods relied upon for thousands of years of civilization as necessary, humane and successful for the proper discipline of young members of a society.

Look, it's tough raising a good kid in these times, even with decent genetics. Given the deplorable way in which many minorites have so depleted their genetic stores, it may be impossible. But you can't argue that kids that grew up in the fifties and early sixties, like me, had a much better shot at making it through their teens without getting shot, killed in a high speed auto crash or dying of a drug overdose than the current crop. Nor can you argure that kids today might very well benefit from the occasional "course correction" via a broad slap across the ass. It kept me out of a ton of trouble that I might otherwise have been very inclined to become involved in. My parents loved me enough to STOP ME from doing bad stuff and were brave enough to inflict a little pain when necessary to prove that they meant business and I thank God for that. They did real good.

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this is for CLM.
i believe that Marketing Student has a far superior intellect than that of yourself.
and he makes valid points.
schools are run by the government, which is funded by us, the taxpayers.
and if an area of taxpayers were to vote on a certain school, and they believe that the childeren should be punished for their wrong doing, THEN so be it.
i know that detention sure as hell didnt have any effect on me. it had air conditioning.
and the temp outside could reach 110 easily from may to september. id rather sit in the comfort of a room then have to survive the heat.

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