Seriously, In What Universe Are We?
Whitney Houston once sang that children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way. As the Parkland kids would tell you, they’ve been taught well, but we aren’t letting them lead the way. But, let’s just save that discussion for another time because what we are teaching them is anger, resentment, distrust, fear and violence. In recent years, we have seen 5 year olds in handcuffs, 11 year olds being tased, 14 and 15 year olds beaten by campus security on high school grounds and now bullies being prosecuted and criminalized. We are making our children more violent by the violent way that we are responding to their behaviors.
This essay is about the time our government asked Superman to fly around the planet and, against all laws of nature, turn back time to – it seems - the 1950s, when coal was king, abortions were done in the back alleys, racism was right out in the open and kids were being paddled in the public school classrooms (the Church has been whooping kids for thousands of years). Recently, a little school in a little town in Georgia made headlines by “reinstating paddling” [aka, corporal punishment].
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/georgia-school-reinstates-paddling-to-punish-students/ar-BBN9t2p?li=BBnb7Kz
Let me pick this article apart before I share my beliefs, the evidence and the long term consequences of paddling children in our schools. I will point out the main points of the article and my thoughts on them, specifically what the superintendent identified as the key points:
We can euphemistically call this discipline, hand out consent forms (with inordinate punishments in lieu of paddling, 5 days suspension? A little much?), and boast that some parents are thrilled (probably not the parents of children who are behaviorally challenged, rambunctious or just developmentally appropriately mischievous) but this is wrong and sends a terrible message – even in the South – that the 50s are roaring back.
My thoughts and response
I have to state somewhere in this essay that this is a charter public school and that means they can have different criteria and still receive public funds for the children who attend. They can also enroll children from anywhere in Georgia so enrollment is vast. Again, I don’t know how many children attend but the opportunity for diversity is there. So my thoughts:
Finally, I want to return to the GSIC; this little public charter school located in a little town in Georgia. I want to highlight their motto. They use their curriculum “as a platform for the Classic Four Virtues: Wisdom, Justice, Courage and Temperance.” Sheesh….I hate to micro-criticize but let’s look at their guiding virtues.
Wisdom
Wisdom is the “quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the quality of being wise.” Hitting children when you have reached the end of your rope is not using good judgement and certainly doesn’t show wisdom. You have experience, knowledge and good judgement to find other, non-violent ways to teach the child life skills. Use them.
Justice
There are several definitions of justice but number one is “just behavior or treatment.” Let’s suppose the student is paddled, what could they have done that rationalizes a stranger gets to paddle your child? What is just about that treatment? Even if they hit someone else, doesn’t just treatment mean the person they hit gets to hit them? That’s not right either. Paddling a child for misbehavior is not justice, it is abuse.
Courage
An administrator has the courage to paddle a child “no more than 3 times.” Does that require courage? Another question, if the administrator has a husband or wife and that partner does something unacceptable three times, would that administrator consider paddling their spouse? OF COURSE NOT! Yet, when it comes to someone else’s children they do. Even more shocking is that 30% of the parents who returned the consent form said they were okay with that! I guarantee you that the 30% who signed the consent form have children who rarely if ever get into trouble. It takes courage to spend more time learning about the child, visiting the home and finding alternative ways to “discipline” the child.
Temperance
This is the most ironic. Temperance means, “moderation in action, thought, or feeling: restraint.” How ironic that one of the four classic upon which they built their school is the complete opposite of paddling children. Restraint. Schools are no place for violence and victimization by the very people meant to protect, educate and care for our children when in their care. Paddling a child is not an example of moderation – it is extreme, unhealthy and has long term effects per Kaiser’s ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences).
In conclusion, my hope is that teachers just won’t refer troublesome students to the principal’s office and the policy will become moot, as it is in most other states who allow corporal punishment (there are 19 of them). You are meant to be protectors, not vehicles for abuse and interpersonal violence.
Whitney Houston once sang that children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way. As the Parkland kids would tell you, they’ve been taught well, but we aren’t letting them lead the way. But, let’s just save that discussion for another time because what we are teaching them is anger, resentment, distrust, fear and violence. In recent years, we have seen 5 year olds in handcuffs, 11 year olds being tased, 14 and 15 year olds beaten by campus security on high school grounds and now bullies being prosecuted and criminalized. We are making our children more violent by the violent way that we are responding to their behaviors.
This essay is about the time our government asked Superman to fly around the planet and, against all laws of nature, turn back time to – it seems - the 1950s, when coal was king, abortions were done in the back alleys, racism was right out in the open and kids were being paddled in the public school classrooms (the Church has been whooping kids for thousands of years). Recently, a little school in a little town in Georgia made headlines by “reinstating paddling” [aka, corporal punishment].
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/georgia-school-reinstates-paddling-to-punish-students/ar-BBN9t2p?li=BBnb7Kz
Let me pick this article apart before I share my beliefs, the evidence and the long term consequences of paddling children in our schools. I will point out the main points of the article and my thoughts on them, specifically what the superintendent identified as the key points:
- I don’t know, and couldn’t find in my research, how many children attended GSIC (the Georgia School of Innovation and the Classics) in 2017/18, but the Superintendent reports that, of the 100 consent forms returned to the office, 30 percent gave consent to paddling [or are compelled to agree to 5 day suspension in lieu of paddling]. 30% of parents gave consent to having someone at the school hit their child with a weapon made of solid wood. If a parent wants to punish their child [the superintendent euphemistically refers to it as “discipline”] then, I wish you wouldn’t but I’d be hypocritical because I have spanked my boys. But, school personnel? Um, no!
- The Superintendent suggests that this reinstatement is in response to the current state of children’s behavior. She says, “There was a time where [sic] paddling was kind of the norm and you didn’t have the problems you have.” She makes it sound like children weren’t misbehaved in the past? Ask any generation and, if they are being honest, they had at least one or two students in their classes who displayed the same kind of behaviors children [I am including high schoolers in my label as children] exhibit today. Children are children are children. I paraphrase the custodian in The Breakfast Club when he and the assistant principal are discussing the kids of today and while the AP says, “…kids today have changed…” The custodian replies, “Maybe it isn’t the kids who have changed. Maybe it’s you?” There ya go.
- “It’s just one more tool in our disciplinary toolbox that we can use.” I think many professionals have the relevant tools in their toolbox. Dentists and drills. Doctors have stethoscopes. Loggers have chainsaws. They probably have tools deep in their toolboxes that they think they’ll never use but it is there – better to have one and not need it then to need one and not have it. That isn’t this. Hitting a child….with a weapon….alone with another administrator but no parent or guardian….is never okay.
We can euphemistically call this discipline, hand out consent forms (with inordinate punishments in lieu of paddling, 5 days suspension? A little much?), and boast that some parents are thrilled (probably not the parents of children who are behaviorally challenged, rambunctious or just developmentally appropriately mischievous) but this is wrong and sends a terrible message – even in the South – that the 50s are roaring back.
My thoughts and response
I have to state somewhere in this essay that this is a charter public school and that means they can have different criteria and still receive public funds for the children who attend. They can also enroll children from anywhere in Georgia so enrollment is vast. Again, I don’t know how many children attend but the opportunity for diversity is there. So my thoughts:
- Teachers MUST foster and nurture a positive rapport that can result in trust and feelings of safety in an environment where they will take chances. Risk-taking when learning new materials is one key to incorporating and making the material accessible. For example, English language learners (actually everyone) have what is referred to as an “affective filter.” If they feel self-conscious or unsure or insecure about taking risks in using their new language – their affective filter will rise up like a wall and protect them (and stop the learning process). Every learner has that filter. The threat of violence, like a paddling, creates a pall over the whole learning environment – even the “good ones”.
- My own research found that while teachers want their classrooms to be havens from the outside world, I know I did, the children in the room bring their trouble and strife with them – they’re just too busy and aren’t given time to debrief all the things affecting them outside the classroom while they are IN the classroom. To that point, some teachers believe in separating students’ outside lives with their classroom life as a student. It just isn’t that compartmentalized. But havens come out of trust and security. The overhanging threat of paddling doesn’t foster that climate.
- The children and young adults who get sent to the Principal’s office three times, I’m assuming for the same offense, are telling you that something is wrong. The fit in the classroom, the fit with the material, the teacher, the delivery – SOMETHING is off. If it is the same behavior, that isn’t time to hit the student, it is time to sit down with that student, his or her family, the counselor and get to the bottom of why they are exhibiting this behavior. I think teachers get so outnumbered by their students that they forget that the teacher is the professional educator and they are trained to meet the needs of every student in the class. If they aren’t, just follow one rule. In fact, it is chapter one of my book, Golden Nuggets, KNOW YOUR STUDENTS! Whether it is high school or Kindergarten, know your students. Get to know them and then when you have that special rapport, dealing with difficult behaviors gets less policy oriented (“Well, that is his third warning, time for the principal”) and becomes more familial (“Well that is his third warning, I need to spend more time with him to find out what is going on!”).
- Reams of research support the conclusion that hitting does not work. It does, instead, breed contempt, fear, resentment, anger, isolation, embarrassment and shame. We don’t want any of those feelings fostered by of our teachers and administrators. Sometimes a child’s teacher is the only one she will confide in, the classroom is the ONLY safe harbor in a stormy sea and creating a frightening environment shuts down the learning process and results in a loss of trust in our educators. You can have your favorite teacher(s), but you shouldn’t be afraid of any of them.
Finally, I want to return to the GSIC; this little public charter school located in a little town in Georgia. I want to highlight their motto. They use their curriculum “as a platform for the Classic Four Virtues: Wisdom, Justice, Courage and Temperance.” Sheesh….I hate to micro-criticize but let’s look at their guiding virtues.
Wisdom
Wisdom is the “quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the quality of being wise.” Hitting children when you have reached the end of your rope is not using good judgement and certainly doesn’t show wisdom. You have experience, knowledge and good judgement to find other, non-violent ways to teach the child life skills. Use them.
Justice
There are several definitions of justice but number one is “just behavior or treatment.” Let’s suppose the student is paddled, what could they have done that rationalizes a stranger gets to paddle your child? What is just about that treatment? Even if they hit someone else, doesn’t just treatment mean the person they hit gets to hit them? That’s not right either. Paddling a child for misbehavior is not justice, it is abuse.
Courage
An administrator has the courage to paddle a child “no more than 3 times.” Does that require courage? Another question, if the administrator has a husband or wife and that partner does something unacceptable three times, would that administrator consider paddling their spouse? OF COURSE NOT! Yet, when it comes to someone else’s children they do. Even more shocking is that 30% of the parents who returned the consent form said they were okay with that! I guarantee you that the 30% who signed the consent form have children who rarely if ever get into trouble. It takes courage to spend more time learning about the child, visiting the home and finding alternative ways to “discipline” the child.
Temperance
This is the most ironic. Temperance means, “moderation in action, thought, or feeling: restraint.” How ironic that one of the four classic upon which they built their school is the complete opposite of paddling children. Restraint. Schools are no place for violence and victimization by the very people meant to protect, educate and care for our children when in their care. Paddling a child is not an example of moderation – it is extreme, unhealthy and has long term effects per Kaiser’s ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences).
In conclusion, my hope is that teachers just won’t refer troublesome students to the principal’s office and the policy will become moot, as it is in most other states who allow corporal punishment (there are 19 of them). You are meant to be protectors, not vehicles for abuse and interpersonal violence.