CORPORAL PUNISHMENT IN THE SCHOOL SETTING "What Are We Going To Do With Some Of These Kids?"

Adah Maurer

Over the past decade or so, the use did not erupt, despite the elimination form of institutionalized child abuse, of corporal punishment with school of corporal punishment. Indeed, in approved by society, and reflected in children has received much publicity most cases where the prohibition the family. Society cannot afford to in the media. There are those who was accepted with good grace, the condone model behavior that, in the advocate the use of the "board" of new quiet and reasonableness was a long run, will be maladaptive. education, contending that by welcome relief. No one missed the It develops deviousness, lying, etc. sparing the rod, the child will be afternoon line outside the vice­ The child who squirms, runs away, spoiled. There has been angry principal's office of students waiting lies, blames others, hides, or uses denunciation of permissive teachers to be paddled. The occasional lapse other self-protective means to avoid and bleeding hearts who would could be smoothed over with a physical punishment is acting in a encourage anarchy in the classroom. warning and an apology. truly natural way, trying to avoid Places still exist, therefore, where It pre-empts better means of pain. This deceit may become a paddlings and spankings are used as communicating with the child. common practice; thus, punishment a means of disciplining children for Paddling gets to be a habit even with once again teaches the child school infractions. For the most part. the well-intentioned teacher. Instead. antisocial rather than prosocial however, corporal punishment of of a "last resort" as intended, a behaviors. school children is declining. Paddlings paddling {or threat of one) becomes It is dangerous In that it escal<1tes are being ignored and more effective the first resort. Paddling is the into battering. Anger accumulates alternatives to suspension are being snake-oil remedy of the huckster. In and so the seventh child to be sought. The phasing-out and most cases, a few minutes of swatted may be hit harder than the abolition of corporal punishment has listening and some reasonable first for the same offense. been hastened by horrendous tales suggestions would accomplish far Permanent damage has been inflicted published in various newspapers, and more. Listening opens up channels of by school personnel and staff. There the awareness of the reasons for not communication and affords the have been cases of sciatic nerve using corporal punishment. opportunity for the adult to teach damage, kidney failure, and failure of instead of torture. a weak heart. Arguments Against It teaches by example that the It increases aggressiveness in the Corporal Punishment infliction of pain is the proper way child and vandalism in the school. It is unnecessary. A rapidly-growing to power. The punitive adult serves Whether a spanking is justified or number of school districts have as a model of aggressive behavior. not, the net result of the action found that physically painful This type of model may not only should be one important criterion by punishment added nothing to the teach the child antisocial behavior which it is judged. When children are overall morale and smooth but also okays the use of physical functioning of the schools. Anarchy force as a means of control and of settling conflicts. It may be seen as a

20 hit as the penalty for hitting, studies look any further-punishment is entitled. Second, it is unreasonable to show that the children's hitting effective so why look for suspend students for minor behavior increases (Button; Trotter; alternatives? The administrator who infractions such as chewing gum or Welsh). It may be direct modeling, or runs out of resourceful ideas and is speaking out of turn (but, reasonable a matter of stirring up adrenalin reduced to hitting diminishes himself to spank them for such activity that remains at higher-than­ in the eyes of youth-from respected misbehaviors). Third, a three-day normal levels after repeated leader to hated adversary. Concern suspension-even for more serious punishments or even a protective for his image, if nothing else, should misdeeds-for some may be more mechanism found in most mammals inspire the educator to competent rewarding than punishing. It is like who will fight if they are attacked. conduct. an all-expenses-paid holiday! And, of Rather than deciding whether or not course,.it is paradoxical to award a child deserves a spanking, it would Alternatives compulsory truancy for free-lance be wise to decide whether that The earnest search for alterna~ives is truancy. It is better that the child would be the best way to change his quite different from the rhetorical remain in school where someone behavior. question, "What are you going to do could keep an eye on him. Thus, the It causes anxiety and school with some of these kids7" This idea of in-school suspension was phobia. The spanked, as well as the exasperated statement is meant to be developed. It had immediate appeal unspanked, child may develop a fear the stopper that will end the debate. for teachers and spread rapidly. of school because the school becomes Attempts to supply reasonable One type of in-school suspension associated with the painful answers in general terms of program is where the rulebreakers experience of punishment. lt is as if changing the overall tone of the are assigned to a special classroom school becomes punitive, aversive, school from an us-versus-them for a three- to five-day period. To and thus a place to be feared and stance to a willing cooperation based help him learn more about behavior, avoided. on trust and pride is likely to be met the student develops a written plan It reduces the ability to with an impatient, "But, what are for changing unacceptable habits. concentrate on intellectual tasks. A you going to do when a kid defies This becomes a contract signed by child whose attention must be spent you7" Or, there is the ploy to the student, a parent, the principal, on determining the teacher's moods demand a panacea. No matter what and the teacher in charge of the and on estimating the chances of suggestion is offered, it is countered special in-school suspension room. punishment cannot spend his time with, "And, when that doesn't The rest of the time is spent more fruitfully on academic work7" No system, whether completing regular assignments in behaviors of exploration, curiosity, repressive or caring, will turn all sensory deprivation cubicles, but etc. teenagers into obedient, diligent, with a teacher present and willing to It can cause sexual aberrations. courteous, quiet, creative, studious answer questions. To make this Sadism and masochism may be scholars. For those administrators system genuinely useful to junior disorders related to punishing and teachers who are willing to and senior high school students, it children as an expression of love, i.e., listen, alternatives can be suggested. would be advisable to include access "I spank you because I love you." Some of these are on-the-spot ones, to counseling and, in special cases, an Such association between love and useful for handling immediate educational assessment designed to aggression might possibly lead to problems; some are for general, discover wherein the school has certain aberrations of true sexuality. overall changes in the system. failed the student. It damages the punisher by On-the-Spot Alternative #l: Of course, there have been narrowing his options, tunneling his Suspension. Probably the first misuses of the in-school suspension vision, and tarnishing his image. alternative to corporal punishment system. For example, a student Punishment has illusory that comes to mind is suspension. spends a day in a lighted storage effectiveness in that it typically will But the adversaries are quick to room where he possibly can sit and stop the misbehavior quickly even point out the disadvantages of this do nothing or even sleep. Although though in the long run it may be type of discipline. By suspending a this may be better than the paddle or ineffective because it instigates more student from school, the child is out-of-school suspension, it has little misbehavior. But, this immediate denied an education to which he is or no constructive educational effectiveness can be very rewarding benefit. Solitary confinement for for the punishing agent and, thus, young children or special students maintain the use of physical may be too traumatic. The use of punishment. Unfortunately, the punisher feels he does not need to

21 time out in behavior modification is On-the-Spot Alternative #4: Body so in another. Sometimes it takes a useful, but the time should be Language. Most schoolroom dose of two or three medicines limited to a few minutes. problems develop from ineptly­ before the right one is found. When used correctly, the in-school delivered messages such as the A Written and Uniform Code of suspension system can spare the rod raising of the voice, threatening, Conduct. If punishments vary from but not the discipline. There can be ignoring the first lack of compliance, day to day and teacher to teacher, if schools with no paddlings, no or whining at the whole class for the 11tudents have no way of knowing suspensions, no expulsions, and no behavior of a few. Teachers glued to what is expected of them, the anarchy, too. their desks at the front of the room uncertainty will leave some confused On-the-Spot Alternative #2: Other or busy with extraneous chores and others inspired to push against Penalties. Certain types of penalties while students are assigned seat the limits to find out where and can have the benefit of having the work will have far more restless what they are. To remedy this. some student contribute to the school disobedience than those who are school boards draw up lists of rules community. These may include immersed in on-going activities as a and penalties to be applied for each dean-up chores, grooming the part of the class community. infraction, with sometimes mixed grounds, etc. Of course, care must A stern but calm voice and close results. Sometimes the problem with be taken so that these chores don't eye-to-eye contact, according to rules is that there are too many, and take on negative valence and become Jones, convey the message: "I mean this may become a source of disliked. But, potentially, chores such business!" and are the beginnings of difficulty. Have as few as possible as these have more educational value an effective body language that and do away with the irrelevant than doing push-ups or running laps. controls without threats. His system ones. After consultation with the It may take some imagination and requires practice to become natural students, one administrator came up experience to come up with tasks and unforced. In his workshops with with just six rules: "Attend class, no that serve both as a penalty and an teachers he ttresses setting limits, alcohol and drug1, no smoking in the education for the student. eye contact, proximity, staying cool. building, no weapons, no fighting, On-the-Spot Alternative #3: Just using the minimum response for the and treat everyone with respect for Talk. Nothing so exasperates the situation, and doing it right away. his dignity, welfare and property." dedicated punisher as the suggestion When done effectively, discipline This program appears to be that talking it out has any value. Yet, seems to be invisible. successful. talking it out is probably one of the most socially educational things that General Sy•tems Reward• Rather Than can be done. Conflict resolution is a The administrator confronted with a Punishment. A general attitude of very important skill, in which a chaotic school is looking for an rewarding good behavior rather than potentially dangerous confrontation overall morale builder or a well­ punishing bad behavior can go a long is defused so that the conflicting organized system that has proven its way. Adults, at times, are too quick parties go home happy. worth elsewhere in bringing about a to punish the smallest of infractions An "everybody wins" solution change, rather than for on-the-spot and too slow to reward the nicest of depends upon a willingness to "how-to's" that are useful to the behavior. But, reward to a child not engage in "just talk" and to listen. classroom teacher. The daily line-up only enhances his own self-esteem, Time taken to insist that conflicting of the unruly sitting pitifully on the but also increases the chances that students speak in turn, listen to each long office bench awaiting their tum the child will develop more of the other, offer a reasonable solution to at the paddling machine can be a appropriate behavior for which he is their difference, and end with a source of embarrassment and being rewarded. Besides pouring on formal handshake is time well spent. annoyance when it is realized that the social praise, some school It will enhance the stature of both the line never ceases and the systems also have used rewards in children, provide them with an problems never solved. The person the form of stars, happy grams, experience they can Jook back upon of principle will seriously ask the excellence stamps, and other as a model of conflict resolution, and question, "Are there altemativesi'" indications of achievement. Students upgrade the morale of the whole Happily, the answer is "yes." Some meet such system1 with enthusiasm, school. are better than others; some are and mischief is reduced effectively. appropriate in one situation but less

22 Psychologically-Based Systems. violated the rules. There were no References Some general systems can be derived threats, no consequences- just from useful psychological constant reminders by people they Button, A. "Some Antecedents of approaches. For example, Teacher knew and were known by. Felonious and Delinquent Behavior," in Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, Volume Effectiveness Training is a well­ Unwelcomed outsiders were 2, Number 3, 1973, pp. 35-37. known and much-touted system "encouraged" to go elsewhere. Glasser, W. Rralily Thrrapy, New York: incorporating principles of sound Teachers, who were apathetic, Harper & Row, 1965. communication between people. So perked up when asked for their ideas Gordon, T. Ef{tttivtnm Training, New York: popular has the approach become and discovered they were actually P.H. Wyden, 1974. that it's used as much in industry being listened to. Gang fights were Jones, F. "Body Language," in Lui Rtsort, and in the schools. cooled by a student committee before Volume 7, Number 1, September 1978, An equally popular system, they could escalate. Problems were p. 10. Classer's Rtalify Thtrapy, has helped handled quickly and fa irly, with both Trotter, B. "East Side, West Side: by providing a framework for sides of a conflict having a chance to Growing Up In Manhattan," in Stitnct formalizing contracts with students. communicate. In short, the students Nrws, Volume 109, Number 20, May 15, 1978, pp. 315 & 318. It emphasizes that the responsibility now have loyalty and pride and Welsh, R. "Severe Parental Punishment for discipline resides within the enthusiasm. Zuckerman has and Delinquency: A Developmental student rather than in a big stick explained his philosophical and Theory,Min Journal of Clinical Child held over his head. A humane, but psychological base for dealing with Psy

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