Paddling in School-Is it a Good Idea? Why it should be an option to paddle

Temple Texas has made the news because it has re-instituted paddling in their schools. The district banned the practice but recently re instituted it in all of their 14 schools at parent requests to try to deal with unruly students and their bad behavior. The district reports that student behavior has improved dramatically since the practice was brought back- only 1 child has actually been paddled and that was at the request of the parents. Residents of the town applaud the school districts decisions and say that restoring the practice is less about the actual punishment and more about the threat of being paddled.

"It's like speeding," said one man. "Is a police officer going to give you a speeding ticket, or . . . a warning? I'd speed all day if I knew I was just going to get a warning and not a ticket.

Whether you are for paddling in school or against it the issue isn't going to go away any time soon. Paddling is still legal in almost half of our United States and is being used as a tool in many district's discipline policies. I wanted to write this hub to expound upon the issue and address both sides of the argument. I hope you read this hub with an open mind and find the information that I have included in it valuable. Leave me a comment when you are finished reading-I would love to know your thoughts.

Advocates of paddling point back to the Bible as the main authority on the matter. Several books of the Bible address the subject of corporal punishment in the area of child rearing. Some of the verses in the New and Old Testament are:

Prov 23:14: "Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell (Shoel) ."s in scripture are:

Prov 13:24: "He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes (diligently)

Prov 22:15: "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him ."

Hebrews 12:6-7: "...the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.

Proponents of paddling point to the issue of continued discipline problems in school and feel that paddling should be an option available to them in some cases with some students. Paddling is not an option for each and every student. Many students respond to alternate forms of discipline including; the withholding of privileges, rewards for positive behavior, and time outs. But there are the students that do not respond positively to these corrections. There are students who will test a teacher's boundaries time and time again. Students who are disrespectful, belligerent, and aggressive who turn a classrooms learning environment chaotic. Students who do not care that their negative behaviors are effecting not only their education but the educations of the rest of the students in the classroom. Talking to these students does not make a difference. They are the ones that turn going to the Principal's office into a game and strive to see how many times they can be sent there. Paddling the students will ultimately lead to them having increased respect for the adults in their school.

Like it or not there are bad kids in classrooms today-just like there are bad adults in our society-and the option of paddling in school should be available to educators as a last resort when dealing with these individuals. One teacher feels that people who are critical of paddling should spend just one day in a teacher's shoes and have to deal with children who lack control and come from environments where there is a lack of discipline before they say paddling should be never be done. They also point to the fact that in many of these children's home lives paddling IS a form of behavior correction and that form of correction should be available in the school as well.

Opponents of paddling say that striking a child, any child, will hurt them psychologically and have lasting negative effects on their growth as a person. They say that paddling unfairly targets minority students, males, poor students, and students with behavior issues. Teachers who use paddling are seen as individuals who use paddling as an easy way out-the quick way to deal with a problem rather than taking the time to deal with the deeper issues involved in the student's misbehavior. Opponents will say that there are teachers and administrators that abuse paddling, that rather than seeing paddling as a last resort they paddle students for a myriad of reasons from not tucking in their shirts to not returning their homework. They will point to the cases where the actual paddling is excessive and leaves the student bruised and bloodied. The point can be made that as a society we do not tolerate an individual striking another person outside of school, why would we allow it within the school's walls?

If you have read any of my prior hubs you know that I am a teacher and have been one for over a decade. I have had years when all of my students have been wonderful and it was an absolute joy to be a teacher and go to work everyday. I have also had years when I literally dreaded going to school because I knew that I would have to deal with difficult students and had almost no support from the administration in the school. I have never worked in a school where paddling was an acceptable way to discipline student's behavior issues, but to be totally honest there were times when I wish paddling was an option as a last resort. Let me be clear-I am not saying that a student should be paddled for minor issues like not turning in homework, being belligerent,or refusing to follow directions. What I am saying is that in SOME extreme cases, with SOME students, school administrators with the permission of parents should be allowed to CONSIDER corporal punishment as an option before suspending the child.

Any good teacher that actually BELONGS in a classroom working with children understands way to effectively discipline students and create a classroom environment that is supportive to all the children under his/her care. Any teacher that feels that paddling is the ONLY option for dealing with problem students does NOT belong nor need to be in a classroom or in any occupation where they work directly with children.