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.