But Emotional Abuse Still Hurts Teachers may not realize the long-lasting effects of intimidating their students.
Some students remember the humiliation decades later.
In talking to hundreds of people about their worst school experiences, Irwin Hyman has gathered quite a collection of heartbreaking tales. One student was humiliated when the teacher pointed out to the entire class that he was scratching his rear end. Some Scarred for Years While these examples might not be as dramatic as a paddling from the principal, or being slapped by a teacher, they're forms of abuse nonetheless, says Hyman, a professor of school psychology at Temple University and an outspoken critic of spanking in schools. In especially bad cases, he says, the psychological damage lingers for years. While that may not sound like a lot, it turns out to be a significant number of students.