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Think Tank: Hard-hitting debate Two parents think teachers need more disciplinary authority -- something paddling would provide Sunday, July 15, 2001
Corporal punishment has deep roots in this country, dating to the 1800s. J. Marion Sims, a pioneering 19th century American gynecologist, wrote in an autobiography of how boys were flogged the first day of school regardless of behavior.
Today, paddling continues in schools in 23 states, including Pennsylvania.
Grounded in religion, its persistence is indicative of the ongoing debate.
It's tried. But just how true a form of discipline it is remains debatable. On one hand, Christians quote the Bible's Proverbs 22:15: "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child: but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him." On the flip side, child advocates decry paddling as nothing short of abuse.
In 1997, the most recent survey year available, the U.S. Department of Education reported about 458,000 students were paddled nationwide -- that's 1 percent of the total enrollment for that year. Of those, Pennsylvania students accounted for 216, or one-tenth of 1 percent of the state's student population.
Here, two Think Tank parents count themselves squarely on the side of spanking to bring unruly students into line.
Speaking from personal experience, Jeff Paxton recalled being spanked some 20 times for his self-described "wisenheimer" attitude during his school days. Today, he's the father of two college-age daughters and a son in the Chartiers-Houston School District. He'd have no problem with his son being paddled if he "messed up."
Mild by comparison to contemporary school shootings, what triggered his spankings were swearing in class on one occasion and reading a "clean" book about sex another time. But speaking in hindsight, he's glad for the punishment, because it helped him focus on school.
When he was in school, teachers "ran a tighter ship. They never sent so-called misfits to alternative school. They threw them out."
He believes today's teachers are hampered because they're frightened by parents' threats of lawsuits. Not giving teachers the option to paddle, in his view, leaves them with little disciplinary alternatives.
"Teachers need a little more clout than alternative school. If you're a misfit or a bad actor, there should be some other control," he said.
And what if bruises or marks are left on the body?
"The body heals," he said, remembering the fear of God that paddling instilled in students when he was a boy. "If a teacher is verbally abusing a kid, that's worse. When I was in school, boys mainly got paddled because they were goof-offs."
He said it would be inappropriate to paddle a student who is epileptic or mentally or physically challenged, and Paxton believes it would be easy for teachers to spot those circumstances. To those who worry that spanking instills fear or aggression, he suggests psychologists take a look at a child's home life to see if that's could be the source of the belligerent behavior.
Like Paxton, Mary Davis sees today's kids as having no regard for authority and lacking in discipline. While she does not believe paddling is for every student, she believes it works for some. For those who have no regard for authority and for whom other disciplinary measures -- like staying after school, doing extra homework or suspension have not worked -- paddling is the answer.
As for whether leaving bruises or marks on a child may be excessive, she said, "it'll fade."
In spite of her approval of paddling students, she said, she would not allow it for her own son and daughter.
"For my own children, I would take care of it," she said.
Davis said the problem is that children offering the biggest challenge are those for whom discipline is in short supply at home
"They think, 'I do it at home. Why can't I do it here [at school]?' "
Teachers are caught in the middle having to control students in the classroom.
In the end, she asked, "Which would you rather have: your child paddled or your teacher shot? That's how radical things have gotten."
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