The strap is a quick and sharp punishment which children sometimes understand better than other punishments, according to the principal of one of Sydney's two Jesuit schools, St Aloysius' College, Milsons Point. Moral punishments and threats, such as 'You're letting the school down', and suspension do more harm than where a child is punished on the spot and it is over. Father Smith was among a number of private school principals who spoke yesterday about their attitude towards caning. Most disliked the use of the cane, although they believed they should have the option to use it.
Physical punishment is just one of the ways.
It's used when boys are disrespectful to a teacher, or for vandalism, or bullying. Father Smith said corporal punishment had only been used about 10 times this year in his school. Our first step is a telling off and then writing lines. The next is strappings, then comes being kept in on a Friday afternoon when the boys write out school rules or clean graffiti off desks. Then come weekend penals, when they spend a number of hours at the school on Sunday in full school uniform, and then suspension.