Discipline can be a difficult concept to teach. Some children accept it more readily than others. Schools don’t always want to pick up the slack in this area. They figure that parents should be taking the lead. Not so for a certain school in Texas.
Apparently the school has been having such a problem with misbehaving children that they believe it’s time to adopt an old-fashioned approach. The school has decided to use corporal punishment on children who can’t be disciplined: they are going to start paddling them. The Texas Classroom Teacher Association defines corporal punishment as the “deliberate infliction of pain” as a way to create discipline.
Paddling itself is usually when a teacher uses a wooden paddle to hit disobedient children. It is a practice that was very common in the olden days. It was reserved for students who are especially naughty. Behavior like bullying or creating chaos in the classroom often resulted in a thorough whack. It is the final warning for those students who don’t respond to detention or suspension from school.
How did parents react to this decision? It definitely seems like a drastic measure. You might be surprised to learn that some parents actually wholeheartedly support the practice. Of course there are always going to be dissenting opinions. There are other schools that were horrified at the idea of teachers hitting their students. It creates fear that students might not like going to school anymore or that the paddling could turn into abuse.