Do you realize that there are still nineteen states in which corporal punishment of students is still allowed? Merriam-Webster defines corporal punishment as "punishment that involves hitting someone: physical punishment." Yes, it is legal to discipline students by hitting them in states in the South, the Southwest, and Midwest, including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming. It is legal to paddle students with a wooden paddle; while it was much worse ten or twenty years ago, it is appalling that in the 21st century, the wealthiest nation in the world still has nineteen states that permit a child to be spanked by an adult in a classroom. Corporal punishment has no place in schools.
Fortunately, I know no boarding school anywhere in North America permits hitting students. Period. Technically, New Jersey and Iowa are the only states where corporate punishment is forbidden in private schools. But our boarding schools, indeed our private schools as a whole, are enlightened exemplars of all that is good in education. Our private school Codes of Discipline and Conduct do not allow any form of physical abuse. For all kinds of good reasons. Most importantly, our boarding schools understand what is required to create a better world. In this world, children can mature into productive adults who are competent and confident in achieving whatever their dreams are. Corporal punishment is not part of that philosophy and understanding. That's why I want to call your attention to the fact that this negative, abusive, bullying way of shaping children's lives is still legal and used in 19 states in the United States of America in 2016. Schools such as the Cristo Rey Schools offer a positive approach to teaching young people lessons about life and work.
This video examines the positive reinforcement and encouragement the Cristo Rey schools offer.
One reason Codes of Discipline and Conduct work so well in boarding schools is that parents and students understand that they are bound by the terms of the contract they have signed with the school. By contrast, parents and students in public schools know that they can drag disciplinary matters out because they are entitled to due process. They are not governed by contract law like private school students. In a boarding school, if the infraction of the rules is serious enough for a child to be expelled from school, she will be expelled. Read and understand your child's Code of Discipline and Conduct. Discuss the document with her. Confirm that she knows and understands the rules and the consequences for breaking those rules.
Then
When I was growing up in Montreal back in the 50s, we still had corporal punishment in the classroom. That was because we followed the old British model, which permitted practices such as caning and strapping back then. Physical punishments ranged from getting your knuckles rapped with a ruler to being strapped with a very thick leather strap called the strap. I don't ever recall girls receiving any form of corporal punishment. But we boys most certainly did. A smart rap on the knuckles is something I remember to this day. It was administered to me by my third-grade teacher. She had a reputation for being a very strict disciplinarian. And indeed she was. I honestly cannot recall why I got my knuckles rapped. I probably wasn't sitting up straight. Now, the strap was generally administered by the vice-principal or principal. It was the last resort when it came to punishment. You could hear a pin drop when somebody was sent to the principal's office for a strapping. Even worse, we all would flinch as we listened to the strap being administered. Yes, the principal purposely left his office door open with significant effect. Abuse damages fragile egos. It undermines confidence. It kills a child's spirit.
This chat with an alumnus from Montreal's Lower Canada College sheds some light on how different things were back then.
Now
I do understand that the disciplinary pendulum has swung rather dramatically the other way. "Spare the rod and spoil the child," a loose translation of Proverbs 13:24, has more than an element of truth, doesn't it? In any case, most of us who are sending or have sent our children to private schools understand that self-discipline is something that we adults need to teach our children ourselves. The school can certainly help, but in the end, we parents are responsible for ensuring our children understand that there are real consequences for breaking the rules. Just as in adult life, there are no physical punishments. But there are real consequences, such as losing one's job, being fined, or worse, facing jail time. Abiding by the school's Code of Discipline and Conduct is a valuable lesson for later life.
The fix?
What can you and I do to eliminate corporal punishment? Write to your state legislators and let them know your feelings. You pay local property taxes; therefore, you also have a right to inform your local school board about your feelings. Hopefully, your local board will have long since passed rules and regulations forbidding corporal punishment in their classrooms. In many cases, insurance carriers have demanded that the practice be banned because it exposes the board to lawsuits and bad publicity. School boards have enough exposure to legal action in circumstances over which they often have little control. They can and do forbid risky practices such as corporal punishment, which they can control as a matter of policy.
This video from PBS gives us an overview of corporal punishment in the U.S.A.
Finally, please speak up when you hear others advocating the physical abuse of children in our schools. For that, in the final analysis, is what corporal punishment is. Read about the history of corporal punishment to speak knowledgeably about the issue. Please join parents everywhere who believe children should be brought up in safe, nurturing environments at home and school.
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