Corporal Punishment in Schools
I wrote this paper for Contemporary Moral Issues class. This was an assignment of our choice and I chose to do this topic, because the week before in Intro to Education we had discussed discipline methods and I was astonished to learn that corporal punishment still existed in schools. I am hoping that by including this piece of work on my webfolio others will become aware that corporal punishment is alive and used often in our schools.
In the following paper I will discuss the controversial issue of the use of corporal punishment in schools. Supporters for corporal punishment say that it is a deterrent to misbehavior and delinquency, is needed to maintain discipline, and is not a form of child abuse. The position against corporal punishment says that it is of limited effectiveness, has potentially serious side effects, is a form of child abuse, and should be abolished in all schools. I think the position against corporal punishment should become the social or public policy. Corporal punishment should not be used as a form of discipline, because it leaves psychological and physical harm on children.
The first key argument against corporal punishment that I will present is the argument that corporal punishment is a form of child abuse. The Policy Statement of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry states, "corporal punishment is a discipline method in which a supervising adult deliberately inflicts pain upon a child in response to a child's unacceptable behavior and/or inappropriate language" (1). If one is deliberately inflicting pain on another, then that is for sure a form of abuse. Many students are physically and psychologically assaulted...
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Dupper, David R. , and Amy E. Montgomery Dingus. "Corporal Punishment in U.S. Public Schools : A Continuing Challenge for School Social Workers." Schools and Children 30.4 (2008): 243-250. Print.
Corporal punishment is considered as an act of violence against children, and it includes any use of physical punishment in response to misbehavior. Corporal punishment has been associated with child abuse, aggression, delinquency, moral internalisation, antisocial behavior, mental health, and perpetration of the spouse and child abuse. This study explored the trends in corporal punishment among the three to eleven year old children due to they are the group age that is most likely to be subjected to corporal punishment
The belief that corporal punishment should be banned is sensible in order to protect the wellbeing of children, as well to do justice onto those who do not recognize the mental and physical damage it does to their victims.
The general acceptance, and sometimes support, of corporal punishment as a method of discipline is an aspect of the American culture (Barnett, Miller-Perrin, Perrin 61).
In a final analysis of the pros and cons of Corporal punishment, it seems that the present penal system until further studies on the alternative are conclusive, should remain in effect. Corporal punishment does provide some insight, although presents too many risks and negative possibilities at this time.
If your family is like 90% of the population, then you have been disciplined using corporal punishment or have discipled your children with it. The topic of whether parents should use corporal punishment has been debated for years, and it is illegal in the United States to use physical punishment; however, each state’s law on corporal punishment varies and all allow some form of physical punishment. New studies greatly question whether corporal punishment should be used when discipling children. Parents or guardians should not be allowed to use corporal punishment because it causes anti-social behavior, it increases aggression, and it causes cognitive problems.
This leads to an editorial written by Miami Herald columnist, Leonard Pitts Jr. who is the author of “Spare the Rods, Spoil the Parenting.” In this essay, Pitts uses rhetorical tactics in his article to present his views on corporal punishment. The genre of this editorial is an op-ed (opinionated-editorial) piece. Pitts persuasively try to convince his audience, who are parents, to understand that disciplining a child i...
punishment and their children's endorsement of spanking and hitting other children.” ScienceDirect. 12 January 2010. Elsevier Ltd. Web. 16 Nov. 2012.
Spanking. It is a hotly debated topic, and everyone who has an opinion seems to have a strong one. It is either child abuse or it is a fundamental form of discipline. It is traumatizing or it is character-building. It is repugnant or it is commendable. Many have difficulty removing their emotions from such a controversial topic. I, myself, struggle to consider objectively a situation I’ve always deemed moral and paramount to a child’s development, but with the cruciality of raising the next generation, objectivity is imperative. Because children are wayward and often misunderstand instructions, parents must decide early on how they will discipline their child. This raises the controversial question: Should parents use corporal punishment
According to Miller, Cindy, and Robin, the primary advantage with corporal punishment is that it is the only practical approach to discipline the unruly children (68). Apparently, the opponents of corporal punishment argue that the power of physical punishment does not instill behaviors or manners, but provokes further misbehavior and resentment. However, centuries have proved that spanking kids have produced more civilized and reliable young people. A practical example is during the American Occupation in the Philippines, where spanking and any other form of corporal punishment were applied to all the students who disobeyed the school rules, to be particular, the English-only rule. The approach led to the production of more disciplined Filipino students, who turned to be multilingual and academically competent (Miller, Cindy, and Robin 69). Nevertheless, in the current world, with the prohibition and restrictions of corporal punishment under the human right laws, there is a rapid rise in the number of juvenile delinquents every year. Consequently, the infliction of physical pain by spanking or whipping is associated with disciplining the wrongdoing kids, where they can realize their mistakes, and end up not repeating them. Therefore, corporal punishment is the most practical form of punishing the unruly kids than any other means (Engulu
Corporal punishment means to educate by implement of physical pain on learners in order to enhance their ability of studying. As we know, students will often follow the instructions which given by their instructor. However, if they don’t, many instructors are likely to introduce the corporal punishment such as hitting, slapping, spanking and kicking rather than promotes the oral education method to force their students to have a better performance. Gradually, corporal punishment have become a widely known phenomenon all over the world. According to the Department of Education’s 2006 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), it clearly showed that a total of 223,190 students without disabilities received corporal punishment in that year around the
One may ask the origin of corporal punishment and the introduction of this form of discipline into schools. According to Donnelly & Straus (2005), in more Anglo Saxon spaces, presumably the early settlers brought their own existing practices with them from Europe. So, this suggests that civilization in the western hemisphere was not physically punishing their children? Mitchell (2008) argues that this form of punishment stems from the enslavement and mistreatment of African Americans in the United States. This notion infers that African Americans developed a more aggressive discipline method due to the brutal acts of slave masters? Newell (1972) states that The British Journal of Educational Studies provides evidence of punishment to children as early as 1669 under The Children’s Petition, one that calls for grievance to youth that lies under the severities of the school-discipline of this nation. Yet, there is clear and textual evidence that the bible ignites such discipline through its chapters and verses. However, Rawson (1991) alludes to the ancient roman time, where it was found that this form was not only practiced at home, but also performed in schools. The uncertainty in defining where corporal punishment originated is indicative to the advocate’s inability to outline their rationality in keeping it. No one group developed this method, as all have used it, however, there is a group of people who stands by corporal punishment.
Contrary to popular belief, corporal punishment is still an accepted form of punishment in some countries. In these countries, many see this kind of punishment for children as normal, natural and harmless. Yet, human rights activists believe that it is damaging and must be stopped. For example, Gambian teachers are working to end corporal punishment. The Gambia Teachers' Union has been training teachers on alternative...
On a student’s cell phone, a teacher is caught hitting students with a thick stick. He continually hits everywhere from the students’ hips to the head harshly without a hesitation. This video is opened to the public by a student in the class posting it on the Internet. According to the other students, they were punished because they skipped class when the school inspectors came. All the people who looked at it on the Internet were surprised to see this kind of behavior. Recently, we’ve heard a lot on the media about punishment by teachers in school. Some people agree with the teacher’s power to punish, claiming that it is a part of education. However, contrary to this opinion, I disagree with corporal punishment because physical punishment brings only temporary effects in correcting children’s behavior. Also, it can humiliate a child by insulting his or her personality and have a poor affect on their self esteem. Besides, physical punishment can be abused because there aren’t any concrete standards to regulate how much punishment is proper in disciplining.
Secondly, corporal punishment in schools should not be permitted is because it can lead to harmful effects in a student’s health. Because according to Science Daily “a child in a school that uses corporal punishment has performed worst in tasks involving executive functioning-- such as, for example: planning, abstract thinking, and delaying gratification.” In addition, according to Social Development, “harshly punitive environm...