It is no surprise that teachers encounter students every year who lack respect for authority. It is also known that to earn respect, you must give it. Maybe these children lack discipline at home, maybe they are disrespectful at home, maybe they are going through a world of trouble that no one else can imagine, but the bottom line is, they are disrespectful at school, and this causes big problems.
Not respecting each individual teacher's rules in his or her classroom, can and should call for disciplinary action. All children need boundaries and when they cross the line, some type of discipline should be rendered. Many people believe that the teachers have failed to form a bond with the student or have lacked giving respect to them, thus not earning the student's respect in return. This is why some parents suggest paddling the teachers after their child has been paddled at school. They feel victimized by the school even when their child was clearly disrespectful.
Legality of Corporal Punishment
Corporal punishment is very legal in many states and in many schools, you'll find paddles hanging in each class as a reminder to students of what happens when children misbehave. In many cases, teachers who choose to paddle, can and will do so without a phone call to the parents and sometimes, without sending the student to the principal's office first. Many school districts are very lenient when it comes to firm handed teachers.
No matter your belief in whether or not corporal punishment should be allowed, there definitely needs to be proper protocol when dealing with discipline in schools. If the schools allow teachers to paddle, there should always be a visit to the principal's office for the student after the offense(s), and parents or guardians should be phoned immediately. Parents should not be contacted after the fact. This is too late. If the parents are unavailable, other forms of discipline should be implemented.
There is no universal standard for how schools deal with these issues or how they discipline their students; that can fall on individual state laws and each school district. Many states have banned paddling in schools. You'll find it still legal in almost all of the Southern states including Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and Georgia.
Special Needs Students
There are even a few teachers out there who would not give a second thought to paddling a special needs child who has an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) without even phoning the parents or sending the child to the principal beforehand. These days, many children have IEPs and many qualify for special services under IDEA for things like health conditions, ADHD, and minor learning disabilities. Many teachers are told to treat these kids as if they had no disability. When the child receives corporal punishment, as any other student with behavior concerns would in a school where paddling is legal, parents then change their tone about the child being special needs. Sometimes they even exaggerate conditions when they do not agree with terms. Again, this is why the teachers should always follow protocol.
Tips for Teachers
Where do teachers in these states draw the line? In states where corporal punishment is legal, teachers should exhaust all other options before paddling a child. Here are some tips to help prevent corporal punishment from being used in classrooms offered by Natalie Fischer who wrote How To Earn Your Students' Respect:
- Get to know all of your students (you don't have to be their best friend).
- Let your students get to know you (you don't need to air all of your dirty laundry).
- Create a student centered classroom (there are no successful dictatorship).
- Be respectful and demand respect in your classroom.
- Make learning fun.
Bottom line, some teachers have more freedom with regards to discipline in their own classrooms, but it should not be abused. The best teachers are those who can connect with students individually, and never need to resort to paddling. Teachers should be advised to always consult with the parents and principal before ever laying a hand on a child.
Obviously, in states where this is illegal, paddling isn't even considered. These schools have developed alternatives that work well for their schools. Many of the issues with children with disciplinary problems can be linked to home, medical or developmental conditions or even problems with peers and school. Getting to the root of the problem will yield the best results. Establishing good teacher-student and parent-teacher relationships will be your best resource when any problems develop.
Val Blakely - I am a stay-at-hom mom to two deaf children who hear with cochlear implants. I love to write and do this in my spare time as often as ...
