Punishment should make the child reflect on her actions. Like a vaccine punishment should build a child s ability to cope with life. The decisions regarding the punishment should be taken by the person immediately responsible - house parent in the dorm, class teacher in a class, coach on the field etc. The child has the right to question the decision at an open meeting if she considers it to be unfair. The resolution of the matter however serious should be expedited.
Delays complicate the issue and make it unmanageable.
Any punishment administered should be immediate. Caveat 8 Care should be taken that as far as possible there is no fear developed in the child due to the punishment. The punisher should sensitize her antennae to the possibility of the child developing a fear complex. For e.g. take a child who has been punished irrationally by a teacher, say the geography teacher. The child may develop psychosomatic problems and even fall sick to avoid contact with the geography teacher or develop a dislike for the subject itself.