Corporal Punishment In Schools

[Theland]

Since corporal punishment in schools was outlawed, it seems to me that the authorised violence of the cane, has been replaced by the unauthorised violence on a grand scale, of bullying, and as teachers and politicians wring their hands in desperation looking for a solution, the victims continue to suffer.
Should the cane be brought back, regardless of E.U. laws?

[Octavius]

No.

Corporal punishment is the deliberate infliction of pain intended to correct behaviour or to punish. That is tantamount to torture and therefore has no place in a civilised society.

[Octavius]

You can't beat respect out of a child.

[Theland]

When you say to a child, "Don't touch it, it's hot!" and then they do, and get a painful burn, then they learn not to touch it again!

So, if a child is warned of the consequences of misbehaviour, and misbehaves, and suffers the consequences, ie corporal punishment, then hasn't that child learned a valuable lesson?

[Octavius]

A child touching a burning point after being warned is an unfortunate accident, not a deliberate attempt to inflict pain which is what corporal punishment is. I am all for punishment but not ones that involve acts of violence or deliberate harm (corporal).

You punished me for disagreeing with you by giving me 1 star. I haven�t learnt my lesson have I?

Theland, from some of your previous posts I would consider that you are positively medieval.

[Theland]

In an ideal world we could sit down and explain to a bully that what he/she does is wrong. If that works, all well and good.
The trouble is it doesn't work.
Schools and local authorities intriduce complicated, expensive and ineffectual initiatives to try to combat the violence and intimidation, but the suffering victims continue to suffer.

[Theland]

Octavius - If corporal punishment is not the answer, then what is?
The clock is ticking, and the suffering victims continue to suffer.
What hope is there for a kid getting hit, robbed, and intimidated?

[jake-the-peg]

It is irrational to approve of beating children but not of adults. Is it OK up to 18 and then hurray you wake up as an adult and suddenly it's assault.

So say you bring back the birch for adults.

You end up with the spectacle of beating somebody for getting involved in a pub brawl!

This is a clearly hypocritical situation.

Then from a purely practical point of view most violent people had a violent upbringing.

We've moved on from the 19th Century Theland - I suggest you do too

[Octavius]

So what do we do with workplace bullies then? Take them into the office conference room and tazer their wotsits?? No? It�s only ok if it�s kids in schools? And carried out by a stranger? Do you have a dungeon in your house or like Mrs Trunchbowl do you lock your 6 children in the �chokey� if they misbehave?

In general I would like to ask how you would feel if I was a teacher at your childrens school and I walloped one of them with a lump of wood on the behind for misbehaving?

[jake-the-peg]

The clock is ticking? what rot!

Prove it!!

Show us that this is a more violent society than when Mods and Rockers rioted along the sea-front, than when Teddy boys walked the streets with cut-throat razors.

Footpads patrolled dark alleys - the vey word yob is Victorian in itself

Don't sit and pontificate - prove your contention that society has become more violent

[Theland]

Yes, let's move on from the primitive past. The trouble is, we offer no protection to young bullying victims, do we? Should they suffer in silence?
And what about the point of the birch for adults? Not necessary if prison was effectual, or rather, the fear of it.
But, to get back to the most important point, what hope for child victims of violence?

[Loosehead]

I don't think corporal punishment is the answer. The problem is that trendy liberal thinkging in education over the last generation have taught the kids their rights but not their responsibilities. Teachers have no effective tools of control the kids know the teachers have no power to control them and the result is plain to see. Any teacher who dares try and do something will have chave parants comming up the schoiol having a go becaue their little angel could not possibly do any wrong! Heaven forfend that a teacher touches a child, career over, cue army of doo gooders assault charge etc etc. What we need is to go back 30 years to a common sense approach. Yes I know there where sadistic teachers who got their jollies beating kids but mostly the just got on with it. In my day detention was considered worse than the cane anyway, if you got given a detention we used to say "can I have the cane instead sir?" because it was over quick!

[Theland]

Jake - In my experience, we do live in a more violent society. You obviously don't believe that.

Octavius - What do you do with anybody who breaks rules and laws? Workplace bullies? Sack them. Easy eh?

[Theland]

Octavius - Referring to your first post - Bullying is the deliberate inflicting of pain intended to correct behaviour or punish ... torture ... civilised society.

Well, yes, of course. Which is why the bullies inflict pain to correct behaviour in their victims. "Hand over your lunch money ... or else!"

Yes, violence works doesn't it? The bullies know this. It's quick and effective.

[Pippa68]

No.

Caning a child is barbaric. There does need to be discipline in place, and parents need to take a stronger stance with their kids too ~ but this does not have to involve physical punishment.