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By Dr. Harry Tennant
Thursday, March 31, 2011 Discipline: You Just Earned Three Licks. Bet You'll Act Better Next Time!? Speaking of anachronisms, how about the institution of corporal punishment? I still remember Mr. Phipps giving me three "licks" right outside of our classroom as the rest of the students continued on with a reel-to-reel filmstrip on the new Space Shuttle Program! After taking my punishment, I suppressed the urge to shed a tear (or two) as I re-entered the class and hobbled back to my desk with classmates chuckling and the Space Shuttle re-entering Earth's atmosphere. It made an impression, for sure. Nonetheless, my over-riding thought at the time was...I hope my dad doesn't find out. Just his psychological punishments alone were enough to welcome whacks on the butt by virtual strangers. I also distinctly remember the swagger of coaches as they subtly (and less subtly) reminded us that the 2-foot piece of wood they were carrying could quickly meet our butt if we got out of line. One coach even carried a wooden paddle with holes every inch or two "in order to cut down on the wind resistance," he would quip. The paddle even had some kind of ominous name, but I can't remember what it was now! What I don't remember is me or any of my friends being any better behaved by virtue of this threat of violence. Different things motivated us all, and some were less motivated, but I don't remember a single friend who was motivated to do the right thing by any piece of wood. I do, however, remember resentment on the part of the student body and quite a bit of showmanship by old-school disciplinarians. Now, as an educator, I can't imagine hitting a student with a wooden object, much less waving one around with a sense of intimidation and pride. Besides the fact that it may be counterproductive, it is a reactionary and (some would say) lazy way to respond to the challenges of youth. Besides, isn't our culture full enough of violence than to inflict it on those we are supposed to be nurturing into nurturing-type of adults? Am I wrong? Would you paddle a young person? Would you paddle a young person who wasn't yours? Is parent permission enough? What happens when they come back and sue you and the district because, "I gave them permission to paddle him...but not to do it nearly as hard as they did. Just look at my son...he has gone through a physical beating he may never recover from." One administrator I knew would allow parents to come to her office to whip their child. She wouldn't do the paddling or whipping, but welcomed it from the parents when the situation seemed to justify it. What are your thoughts on this type of discipline? See The New Your Times article below regarding trends to ban the practice where it still is practiced!  Posted at 10:17 AM Keywords: Discipline , Corporal Punishment , Paddling 2 Comments |