Bring back the paddle in schools?

I found this wild website advocating bringing back the paddle for public schools. It says that before paddling was outlawed, school discipline problems were less frequent and kids learned to have respect for authority.

BRING BACK LICKS

Since corporal punishment was reinstated in Temple, Texas May 2009, the level of class disruption dramatically decreased. And there's only been a few times that paddling was even administered!! That is exactly what Leal sees for Dallas ISD. It's more the threat of getting licks, NOT handing them out left and right. Current Dallas school board member, Lew Blackburn, beautifully compared corporal punishment to cops carrying guns. "How many of them have ever had to use them? VERY FEW. But people know to NOT get out of control around a police officer." So try an cut back on the demonizing hate mail ok? :-)

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The district has lost control in dealing with disruption. Referrals? Big deal. In School Suspension? Easy. Once upon a time in the Dallas Independent School District when licks were around, ISS was not!

According to the Texas Education Agency (TEA), here are the latest numbers for In School Suspension (ISS) and Out of School Suspension (OSS) in DISD.

2008-09 -- 12,906 (iss); 18,236 (oss)
2007-08 -- 13,870 (iss); 17,315 (oss)
2006-07 -- 13,006 (iss); 16,213 (oss)
2005-06 -- 10,722 (iss); 14,942 (oss)
2004-05 -- 7,475 (iss); 11,936 (oss) Paddling voted out
2003-04 -- 7,117 (iss) 11,902 (oss)

See why teachers are stressed? They deal with disruption EVERY DAY and it shows. They're taking more sick days from actual stress related ailments. For some, teaching is 60% and discipline is 40%.

Read more: Bring Back Licks

It might work on the elementary level to instill respect for authority in the kids at a young age but, later, it may just be too inappropriate. (Imagine those school teachers paddling some naughty high school aged schoolgirls, sounds like the script for a good porn movie. :shk: )

Is this something we should be thinking about, or just a crazy idea from some poor repressed nut?

Today's kids would attack the teachers back and God bless them. Even if started young, students would return the favor when they were in say high school. Or since they couldn't take it out on the teachers, they'd just resort to attacking other students.

[edit on 14-5-2010 by ghaleon12]

Society has changed to much to really try to bring back corporal punishment... The prospect of it actually causing an escalation in violence is all to real... and would IMHO cause more harm to the teacher/pupil relationship.

The balancing factor has always been home & school life baring a degree of similarity, that balancing act has been lost, and none of this will change until some new method of dealing with today's society is found.

I strongly support the calls for greater discipline in schools. I do NOT, however, believe that violence is the answer. If you reinforce the idea that those younger than you can be controlled with violence, it can have significantly negative effects on the students. I don't believe it is the right approach.

Positive Reinforcement>Negative Reinforcement>Punishment in my opinion. Create a system that rewards those with a clean sheet in a way that makes those who normally misbehave want to model the behaviour of those who normally do behave.

[edit on 14/5/2010 by Dark Ghost]

Wow, this article really made my blood boil.
I am a mother of 3. The way I see it is like this;
These are my children.
I will be the one to punish them if it becomes necessary.
It's not the place of school officials to lay a hand on any one of them.
If they are acting out so badly that they think it's a good idea to hit one of them. Then by all means, call me. I will go to the school. I will pick them up and I can promise, they will be in hysterics when they learn I'm coming for them. I do not hit my children. Not for a very long time now. I have always taught my kids that violence only breeds violence. How are they to learn that harming someone else isn't right when they are being harmed? Now, with that being said, I do teach them to defend themselves though. No one should be able to just beat on them and walk away.
But hitting ... no not even hitting. Paddling a child to get them to behave? I really thought we had moved past this as a society.
Paddling a child with anything is only going to teach them to fear, not respect.
Those are two very different things.
God help anyone who thinks they can discipline them without my consent.

Parents need to take a look in the mirror.
Stop passing the buck. Stop expecting others to raise their kids.
Step up and do the job that is required of them.
Corporal punishment has no place in the schools.

Strange...

Paddling is allowed here in Alabama.

We found this out when my son was in 4th grade a got in trouble for throwing a earaser across the room...he got 3 paddles.

The principle is supposed to notify the parent to discuss the discipline before the action is taken....but she could not reach me that day and procedded with the punishment.

Made me so mad....I told her next time she has issues with him..just suspend him for a few days or something. We came to an agreement that if he got in trouble again....he could pull weeds after school hours. To me, that is a punishment. What kid wants to pull weeds? Spanking only last for a minute. Punishments should make a child think for a while.

I dont think it should be allowed and I think if parents do want it allowed for their children, they can simply sign a note saying it is ok.

The punishments for a child should be left up to a parent. There are many types of discipline.

I see no problem with corporal punishment. We had it when I was in school and, according to my knowledge, none of my classmates died in the process. And, so far as I can tell, none are emotionally scarred by it.

reply to post by FortAnthem


It's bad enough we've heard of some teachers sleeping with their students, now their getting into S&M? I know a lot of teachers have a very rough time these day's. They need the constant support of administrators and parents (remember them?) But what kind of behaviour would justify it? As the recent incident in the news of the teacher beating up a 13 year old shows, some people don't have the moral authoriy to shovel s*** My main argument is not so much the pain thats inflicted, but how humiliating it is. I would no more give teachers the authority to hit students, then I'd give some people a gun or sharp object.

All those responses and only one guy was for it. Must be a Texas thing.


I didn't expect much positive feedback from this one, I just figured I'd throw it out there and see how everybody felt.


I personally don't think I would feel comfortable with the idea of teachers spanking my kids either.

Still, with all of the discipline problems in schools these days, especially in inner-city schools, something drastic needs to be done to regain control.

reply to post by FortAnthem


You're absolutely right.
The question is what though?
I love kids. I think they are awesome little people with amazing big ideas.
But, I would never ... ever want to be a teacher.
That is for the sole fact that some of these kids are really out of control.
But that's where the parents are supposed to come in and straighten them out. Problem is they're not

reply to post by Aggie Man


I agree bring it back.

I got my fair share of licks in school and am not emotionally scarred in the least bit.

When my child gets older and she does something wrong I will swat her with a belt. If she messes up at school I expect her to be disciplined the same way.

I got paddled in middle school and it actually helped me. I was being a moron, get C's and D's, being tardy, and disruptive. Got paddled and the next go round was a straight honor roll student. Don't know how effective it was really, my friend got paddled too and never straightened up. If it is cool with the parents (sign off on it) then I got no beef with it. I do believe, however, that isolated punishment is more effective. Like one poster said, pull weeds, just make sure they are pulled alone.

Beat the kids. Another brick in the wall.



Corporal punishment. Hmmm.

I tell you what. I would rather have had the teachers beat my ass then my father. Ol dad would have beat my ass if I would have caused too much problems for my teachers.

I guess the killings and such are a much better thing to have then corporal punishment?

Hey, teacher leave them KIDS alone?!

Sorry, if a child gets out of hand and the parents give permission-
Spare the rod, spoil the child.

Or, should we allow kids to tease, ridicule, bully until someone commits suicide. Sound familiar?

Nope, do nothing, then get legislation against free speech against everyone?

[edit on 5/14/2010 by endisnighe]

reply to post by endisnighe


My father wasn't too kind with the belt either. My mom was the one that scared the hell out of me though. She would grab any belt around and wear out our bottoms with it. (One time was my fathers deadlifting belt). Felt that one for a week.

reply to post by ventian


I could go on a Monty Python skit on how the older we are the worst things were. I will just post this funny vid-




Who'da thought, 30 years ago today we would be sitting here drinking Chatteay de' Chantilly wine.


Hey, I tell you what, the ol man would have beat my ass, BUT, if the teachers or principle tried some crap, which they did, the ol man threatened to take them out and thrash them.

Ladyskadi brought up the most important part. The kids that act up in school, I would bet, are the ones not getting enough attention at home.

All part of the plan to ruin society by destroying the family.

Gotta have that nanny state and no where in the nanny state does the family exist.

I'm 100% against this idea and I'll try to explain why.

I've worked with 'problem kids' for some years and many come from violent backgrounds. Being beaten at home hasn't worked out so why would extra beatings at school work? What kind of person would be willing to beat children as part of their day to day job? Would you want that kind of person any where near children...especially your children?

It's easy enough for folk to bang on about bringing back corporal punishment (def: violence), but would you be able to exercise violence on a child?

[edit on 14-5-2010 by Kandinsky]

reply to post by FortAnthem


Discipline begins at home, and if there is no discipline at home, expect none at school.

And the discipline should equal the offense, sorry, but paddling equals nothing.

The school, Administration, Principal, Dean, teachers, etc, are not the child's parents.

Nor should they act as such in any way, shape, or form, paddling, suspension, etc, is just a form of abuse, pulling weeds only makes the child hate work, which may be the only kind of work they end up being able to do, making work a drudgery.

There should be some way of notifying the parents as the offense happens.

The parent should report immediately to the school and the issue hashed out.

After too many of these types of actions happens, one of two things will happen.

The parent will see their child is not only disruptive to the school but to their work schedule.

Either those parents will begin thinking of more creative means to punish their children, or the child will be considered unable to be a part of the social structure of school, and be the parents educational responsibility, through home school.

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Either you are a part of the solution, part of the problem, or you are the problem.

What's so wild about it, it's the truth.
Bringing back the good old fashioned paddle would indeed be a great idea, but it would need to ne reintroduced gradually and slowly.

I spent 8 years in Catholic School during an era when corporal punishment in the classroom was still permitted. During that time I can only recall one or two instances when this type of punishment was ever used in my years there.

I got the ruler to the palm of hand one time in 6th grade. That was the first and last time for me. Back then we actually feared and respected our teachers and principals. Hell, we feared and respected all authority figures out of a fear of our parents if we ever got in trouble outside of the house.

I got flipped off by a fifth grader this Winter after I yelled at him for throwing snowballs at a kindergartner.

edit:
I say bring back corporal punishment for 6th through 12th grade. A little bit of fear is good. Fear, not abuse. The fear factor alone can be a major deterrent. That is why my mom kept the paddle hanging in plain sight on the side of the refrigerator. She rarely had to use it.

[edit on 14-5-2010 by jibeho]