DISQUS

deesha · 1 year ago

Carmen, thanks for this. I'd seen the headlines about spanking being prevalent in schools, but I hadn't seen anything about black and Native American children's experiences specifically.

Chi Chi · 1 year ago

No child should be subjected to physical punishment by parents or teachers. What does this say about a society that cannot outsmart a child in terms of getting them to do the "right" thing if that adult resorts to physical punishment in the name of discipline? Too often parents who discipline their children by hitting do so out of their own life frustrations and anger, not for what the child has done. The end result produces an angry and hateful adult who sees the answer to aggression through something physical. (Could this have anything to do with why the U.S. has so many murders compared to other countries?)

Teachers have absolutely no right to hit another person's child -- closed point! The school districts that allow this type of discipline should be called to task and made to have their teachers use better tools to redirect children's interests when they stray. But, those children who suffer from teacher beatings come from homes that use and see this type of discipline as acceptable, and that teachers hold the right answers. Unfortunately, they are wrong.

The question is how to get the message through to those parents to show them that corporal punishment negatively restricts a child's mind and feelings about themselves as individuals. How often have I heard from people, "Well I always got spankings growing up and it didn't hurt me any." Those very people I would love to have said something like, "And, how happy and productive are you? Are you at your maximum potential, feeling truly good about yourself and others?" From my perspective they weren't living up their potential.

Chi Chi · 1 year ago

I am so appalled that corporal punishment is continuing in schools that I forgot to say thank you for bringing this to our attention! I can't believe it because your subject is so near and dear to my heart. It's just that beating a child into submission is abhorrent.

rawdawgbuffalo · 1 year ago

where is the methodolgy? results dont tell the scientist in me much wo methods

and im down, i got spanked and paddled in school all the time - got me a PHD in statistics

Carmen D. · 1 year ago

Hey Rawdawgbuffalo. I am no scientist, the best I can suggest is clicking through to the source materials to get at the meat and potatoes of the study. From training as an economist, I know that numbers can be massaged to demonstrate almost anything.

I am glad that the beatings you received motivated you. Stars like Steve Harvey say the same thing. If you look at the state of young black males in America, many of whom have been given "ass whuppins," by parents even, I believe you are the exception and not the rule.

My overlay to these findings is strictly personal as is yours. I will share another observation with you. In the time I've spent working with gang bangers and foster kids, I've seen that almost all of them were beaten and the results were disastrous not corrective.

Carmen D. · 1 year ago

Hey Chi Chi, I am glad you liked the post. I appreciate your support and kind words.

Carmen D. · 1 year ago

Hey Deesha, welcome to the conversation. It's really interesting that fact about Native Americans. I don't know what to make of that. Sadly, I am not surprised that special ed kids bear the brunt of corporal punishment as well.

Angela · 1 year ago

Corporal punishment is not allowed in our schools, but my son had a teacher who punished him (and another black boy - the only two in the class) MUCH more harshly than other students. My son is a very independent thinker, confident and very intelligent and she could not handle a 5th grader who challenged her thinking, particularly a black young male.

More then a few times she had my son in tears and her punishments were irrational. She and I had a good talk, and I pointed out how irrational her reactions were and to her credit I think she realized she was in the wrong, and after that talk and for the remainder of his 5th grade year he had no further problems with that teacher.

However, my son has noticed that other teachers very often single out young black men for punishment (particularly in the cafeteria) at the middle school level.

I am glad our schools have outlawed corporal punishment, for if a teacher EVER laid a hand on my child I am afraid I would lose any sense of dignified decorum.

Danielle Vyas · 1 year ago

I hold a bit of a controversial stance when it comes to spanking my healthy, curious, adjusted three boys, I am a lioness physically correcting when their age and development hinders reasoning techniques.

When it comes to school however no one has a right to do my job. I know my children, I know their past behaviors, I know what limits they toy with. There is no way that a school can make the same decision as myself.

Children with disabilities shouldn't be hit at all. They lack measuring and deductive skills to alter their behavior in most cases. My middle son has a speech delay and didn't even speak until 2. This has caused him to display behavior problems because he cannot communicate his needs as well as others.

Raising children is the most important job a society has but the responsibility lies firmly with the family. No one has a right to overly interfere and physical correction has not place in the public arena.

Great Piece Carmen.

Light and Love

Danielle
Modern Musings

rick · 11 months ago

Please go to these sites and support them.

www.nospank.net

www.thehittingstopshere.com

both areran by teachers trying to end paddling in schools. the United States is on;y country still allowing this and only allow n 21 states. We got to stop this.

rick