Reinstate corporal punishment in schools

I should probably mention I went to a private school, but now I'm in a public school. Actually, yes, sitting outside in the hallway or having a thirty-minute detention was enough. Though I acted out at times, it wasn't like I went unpunished. And after every punishment, there was a much longer gap between my "act-outs". The embarrassment was and has been enough to get the people to stop. *WARNING*: Next paragraphs are about my past and I get really REALLY worked up about it when I write about it. Sorry about that, but I need to include it to give you the full idea. I know it wouldn't have helped me because I would've linked the pain to some of the events (as that was occasionally what happened). That would've made me act out even more. In fact, one time it did. Being a private school, they weren't as strict about corporal punishments. Even though I hadn't been diagnosed with depression during fourth grade, it was starting to creep up on me (I hit it pretty hard once I realized my home life was nowhere NEAR normal). My fourth-grade teacher new about what was going on and she was very kind, nice, and understanding; because of all that, I nearly never acted-out. I did a lot in fifth grade because my teacher was not like that at all, and I would only respond badly to my sister if she were to NOT act nice. With her having bipolar disorder, it was either sweet as honey or the spawn of Satan. Though it sounds very stereotypical, with such an extreme case she had that was how it was. Anyways, my usual teacher was usually very understanding when I acted out, making it less frequent and much more mild and short. Not that they were really that bad, but hopefully you get what I'm saying. Note: There is a difference between me "acting out" (which is just me kind of reducing stress in an unhealthy manner) and me responding to "attackers". Just wanted to clarify. So when I act out after a particularly rough morning, the substitute smacks me (not unusually hard, but still enough) on the head. My parents weren't much of fighters against my sister, so because of that, even though I was only 11 (children learn to fit roles that weren't being filled), I would be pretty...feisty. So when my flight or fight mode was activated, it was 90% of the time fight. This wasn't an exception for me at school. At all. The kids new some of my home life too, so they knew that I was going to not respond well to what had happened given that it would be like that at home. They had seen part of it, after all (my mom had to pick me up one time and my sister had to come along...long story). One of the kids tried to warn her and explain why I had acted out the way I did, but the damage was done and I saw it as if I was at home and she was my sister. Given that a majority of my classmates had seen me respond to my sister in at one point or another, it didn't come as much as a shock to them as it did to my substitute teacher (given that they had seen it and they weren't the target). Sorry, I'm trying to explain this in the best way possible and it's kind of hard to look back on those times and explain it well. Not only are the feelings indescribable, but I almost put myself in the situation again when I remember it which makes me scatter-brained. So, because of the punishment, I had automatically put myself in the mode of "I'm in danger and I can't let that happen". Not only because of me, but my brain automatically linked my punishment with the other kids; if the substitute was willing to do that to me, who knows what it could escalate to if she did it to another kid? I couldn't let that happen! Though, of course, it wouldn't have, that's what it was like at home and just that little tiny smack brought me all the way back to that unresolved morning. But it didn't end well at all. Fortunately, my previous teachers knew all about it and were able to stand up for me if need be, but my principal also knew about it (it was a small school and my mom got involved a sort of outlet for stress). That substitute was pretty insistent that I was the one who was causing the trouble at my house if I acted like that, and a snarky comment of "don't make accusations about things you don't know anything about" was actually completely fitting; don't assume anything about my life if you have 0% of the story. Especially when my classmates, teachers, AND principal know about it while you don't. Gah sorry going on a rant here. I just get really worked up about this sort of thing and put myself back there when writing or merely thinking about it. I'm not usually like that (EVER), and it's not because of lack of punishment. It's not like I thought it was okay (I hated it whenever it happened), it's just that I couldn't help it; I was a child who was placed in an environment that was EXTREMELY unhealthy. I'll put a little warning at the top of this. Anyways, what I meant to get out of that was this: Other kids go into the same flight or fight mode and choose to fight when given a physical punishment due to similar experiences, whether it be a sibling like in my case, abusive parents, or maybe just a one-time event that happened; either way, results can be disastrous like the time I just mentioned. There was a time I was in fifth grade taking my first anti-depressant (Prozac) and it made me really gittery and made me act EXACTLY like my sister when I was mad. That was triggered by a physical punishment too, but I don't think it's necessary because: A. You get the point B. I was under influence of something that messed with the chemicals of my brain With that, though it wasn't mentioned a ton, I tried to show that being more kind rather than harsh about the act-outs was actually a much better response. Though I did get a sit-out in the hallway each time, it made me think of how I could try to avoid it. In fifth grade, they became much more frequent, partially due to too-severe punishment methods. Apparently, the teacher didn't think that trying a new method was a good idea even though the original clearly wasn't working... Gosh, I just ramble on and on and on. OKAY next point (finally): I agree that there should be separate classes for people with Autism, Bipolar Disorder, ADHD, etc., but sometimes it "doesn't make enough of a difference" for them to be sorted into these classes. Gosh, if my sibling were put in a normal classroom (as she almost was despite the extreme severity of her condition) that would have been a total nightmare. But, if someone with a mild case (but still known) acts out slightly, should they get a punishment? No, because they can't help it. In the case of normal kids, they will see that and a few will think it's okay for THEM to do because Susy isn't getting punished for it. Why should they? Again, sorry for the unnecessarily long explanation! I promise you that events like that almost never happen anymore. My past did seriously screw with my head a lot, but now I'm actually kind of thankful for it (weirdly and surprisingly). Yes, I'm still an oddball, but the effects are barely visible now so I act just fine unless someone targets my sister...I'm protective against the one I use to be against...isn't that weird how that works? I'm like that with a few others too. Anyways, enough about my weird habits. Hope your kids are doing great and their summer vacation time isn't driving you insane! Lol.