Corporal punishment is effective economically. Proponents of corporal punishment offer several advantages over other forms of punishment. Corporal punishment is quicker to implement, costs nothing, and deters unruliness. Quicker implementation means that school officials can turn their attention to other important matters. Schools who implement the use of corporal punishment save thousands of dollars every year. They argue that there is a difference between the use of physical force by authorities such as teachers, and private citizens using physical force to meet their own ends. Figure 2: The Hypocrisy of Corporal Punishment. Source: Corporal punishment is still allowed because of deep rooted moral reasons. It was encouraged by the attitudes of the towards the human body, being a common means of self-discipline. This had an influence on the use of corporal punishment in schools, as educational establishments were closely attached to the church during this period. Nevertheless, corporal punishment was not used uncritically. It wasn’t until the eleventh century when opponents to corporal punishment began speaking out against the use of corporal punishment in the treatment of children. Many of these attitudes and beliefs still survive today. Summary: At a time of limited money and resources, corporal punishment was the only logical means of punishment. But the abundance of money and resources during modern times should call for an end to corporal punishment’s harsh methods of disciplining children. Case Study 2: The Policies of Opponents of Zero Tolerance Purpose of Zero Tolerance Zero tolerance policies were first enacted as a way to enforce suspension and expulsion policies in response to drugs, weapons, and violent acts in schools. Critics of zero-tolerance policies argue that these policies have come to mean district wide policies to mandate harsh and pre-determined punishments for a wide variety of offenses, but zero-tolerance policies have proven to be effective in keeping schools safe, especially in areas where violence is a major problem.
on positive educational interactions between teachers and students. Students, as well as their parents, should be carefully involved in decision-making about school issues affecting them, including the development of educational goals and disciplinary rules, along with positive behavioral support. Schools should have peer support programs that encourage acceptable behavior. Summary: There is no need for corporal punishment to instill discipline. Educators and school administrators have so many other options other than subjecting our students to physical and emotional pain. Many problems already exist in schools and they must not add to the problems by changing the corporal punishment policy to make it easier to physically punish students.
References Are Zero Tolerance Policies Effective in Schools? American Psychological Association Zero Task Force, 63, 852-862. (2008) Bear, G. (2010). National Association of School Psychologists. Discipline: Effective School Practices (Report No. S4H18). Retrieved from the National Association of School Psychologists website: Erin. (n.d). What is Corporal Punishment? [Web Log Post] Retrieved from Greydanus, D. E. (n.d.) Corporal Punishment in Schools and Its effect on Academic Success. Testimony presented at Michigan State University/Kalamanzoo Center for Medical Studies. Retrieved from Human Rights Watch and American Civil Liberties Union. (2010, April 15). Corporal Punishment in Schools and Its Effect on Academic Success. Joint HRW/ACLU statement. Retrieved from Iqbal, A., Said, H., Khan, F. (2013). Effect of Corporal Punishment on Student Motivation and Classroom Learning. Canadian Center of Science and Education (Report No. E-ISSN 1918-7181). Retrieved from academia.edu website: Sources Select Resources. (n.d.). Corporal Punishment. Retrieved from U.S. Department of Education Opposes Zero Tolerance Linked to Suspensions (2014) [Web Log Post]. Retrieved from U.S. House of Representatives. (2010, April). Corporal punishment and academic success hearing. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. Whittaker, S. (2013, June 7). Corporal Punishment Makes Children Dumb. Namibian. Retrieved from Glossary of Terms A American Liberties Union (ACLU)- a nonpartisan whose stated mission is to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the and laws of the United States. The American Psychological Association (APA)- is the largest scientific and professional organization of in the and . It is the