Ever-lasting scars of corporal punishment

Here in the USA we are aware that Sir Frank Peters has campaigned for a long time for school teachers to respect the verdict of Bangladesh High Court that has banned corporal punishment and for parents to demand that their children be spared of the ignominy.

He calls for an end to this violence against children in his provocative reports and says, "Any school that allows corporal punishment is a breeding ground for terrorists".  I enthusiastically agree with Sir Frank and it should be ended immediately. Violence begets violence. Children, who are hit, are more likely to be aggressive, to hit their siblings and to use violence against others, including their spouses and their own children as adults.   

I have studied the subject extensively and written two books on it, "This Hurts Me More Than It Hurts You" and "Breaking the Paddle". In my years of work as a school psychologist and a campaigner against corporal punishment at school, I have talked to hundreds of children and families who have been cruelly affected by this harmful practice. Many children have required medical care. Sometimes the scars are inside and ever-lasting; they experience long-term humiliation, anger, resentment, and hatred for schools and teachers.  

While teachers sometimes say that they only use it as a last resort, many children are smacked for small infractions like missing questions on tests or talking out of turn.  At best, smacking stops misbehaviour for the moment.  The student is unlikely to misbehave when the beater is nearby. It does not teach children what to do in the future when a heavy hand isn't there to punish misbehaviour.

The goal of education is to develop students to become self-disciplined, caring, responsible and productive. Children learn best in a nurturing, friendly environment where they can be active, involved, able to ask questions and to solve their own problems.  

Teachers should ask themselves how they want to be treated when they make mistakes. Don't they want to be able to learn from their mistakes instead of being smacked? They should treat children likewise.

Nadine Block

Columbus, Ohio, USA   

www.nadineblock.com

nblock1@columbus.rr.com