So, having had the Singapore solution forbidden by people who escape the price of its banning, school officials command few if any sanctions that impress hooligans. Sure, the Singapore solution might damage children thus corrected. It also could encourage them to think that might makes right or that violence is the best way to resolve conflicts. If children are having trouble at home, if they are unsafe on the streets, if their lives outside of school are chaotic, they at least should be able to experience something positive in school. Once inside those walls it should be possible for them to feel safe, be treated with respect and dignity and to learn if they want to.
Teachers have similar rights.
For any of this to happen, however, school officials must command meaningful sanctions that tough kids respect. In the best of all possible worlds, pain would never have to be inflicted on anyone for any reason. And a lot can still be done to make schooling more palatable and more effective for a broader range of kids. But the world is far from perfect, school resources are strictly limited and order is necessary for reforms to take hold. Tough penalties, then, are still required.