He confessed his wrongdoing, bent over, grabbed hold of a chair and waited. Suddenly, a staccato whack rang out. Critics say the paddlings amount to child abuse. But supporters defend the practice as an effective discipline tool. I really support it.
Young people have to learn there is a consequence for bad actions.
And, unfortunately, among the 118,000 children in our schools, there are quite a number who understand a paddling, but don't understand a reprimand or counselling. School figures for that academic year note that of the 8,600 students paddled, more than 3,000 students had been paddled on more than one different occasion. Jurors returned a unanimous verdict Tuesday for Vernon Ellis, principal of Sand Springs Central Junior High School for the past nine years. The paddling occurred the day after an alleged fight. According to testimony, two students were offered a choice of two paddle whacks or a telephone call to their parents to inform them what had happened.