Education
To Whack Or Not To Whack
May 5, 2021 
Recent video from a Florida elementary school showing a six-year-old girl being swatted three times and viciously scolded by a school principal has triggered national debate.
ABC NEWS reports that spanking kids is legal in 19 states, but not in the Florida county where the video was made.
The GUARDIAN listened Wednesday to callers on the KBOI radio talk show and the overwhelming majority seemed to favor use of corporal punishment in schools–it is apparently legal in Idaho.
The GUARDIAN suggests that similar punishment would be in order for teachers who chew gum, put their feet on desks, are late for work or leave early. No doubt teachers would not violate the rules if they were bent over and smacked on the butt by the principal.
UPDATE 5/9/21–Florida coppers and prosecutor havre “cleared” the principal of any wrongdoing, saying mom was present and authorized the whacks.
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Comments & Discussion
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May 5, 2021, 2:20 pm
A few whacks would be good for our Legislators–to bring them to their senses 🙂
May 5, 2021, 2:27 pm
You assume staff spanking is not currently in use?
May 6, 2021, 9:08 am
@Caeth, wasn’t there just an Ethics Committee hearing about that very thing? 🙂
OK, more seriously: I don’t like corporal punishment, because the use of it is too often arbitrary, and force levels vary too much. That said, a meeting with the “Board of Education” straightened me out a few times as a kid. It’s really sad that is what it takes sometimes to get a kid’s attention, and if we could find a solution that was half as effective, I’d be a fan. But we don’t have other solutions (most kids view suspensions, for example, as a vacation), so we need to be very, very careful with the corporal punishment. Every instance needs to be documented and recorded (preferably with audio and video) to make sure abuse of students and the procedure isn’t happening.
As always, just my $.02
May 6, 2021, 10:22 am
Kids are out of control because teachers are no longer allowed control. What most schools do today simply does not work.
A quick swat is a very effective way to immediately gain attention and stop bad behavior.
EDITOR NOTE–would you advocate similar punishment for people who violate the law and text or use cell phones…have cops pull them over and whack them on the bum three times for texting? Caning is still used in places like Singapore.
May 6, 2021, 12:15 pm
What is the misdemeanor crime level in Singapore?
May 6, 2021, 4:08 pm
Many, many years ago, growing up in Texas, I took drafting as a shop elective in junior high. If a boy’s t-square fell on the floor, the teacher would administer a few whacks to the teen’s bottom in front of the class. We did not take this very seriously. Looking back, however, it seems the teacher’s hand occasionally may have lingered a bit long on the butt before taking the backswing. Never mind, probably no prurient or sadistic interest involved.
May 6, 2021, 5:28 pm
One thing is certain you have to LEARN TO HATE.
When your a parent is your intention to create and nature another human being?
If the adult disciplined the student due to disruptions vs HATE doesn’t that help in the naturing process?
Isn’t everyone’s goal to live together in peace? Or is the human specie Amusing itself to death?
May 7, 2021, 9:45 am
CN’s error in opinion is “stop bad behavior”.
Really? Does that work?
If that were true, “repeat offender” would not be a term, right?
That student getting ‘spanked’ more than once wouldn’t exist.
One and done?
Perfect! Thanks for the advice, CN.
Kids are out of control because they are KIDS! And because of their parents. Schools are being asked to deal with bad parenting, poverty, child abuse, drugs in the home, lack of parents’ interest in education, competing with sports so Johnny’s parents can brag about his baseball prospects and all the while being attacked from the Legislature and individual parents.
Please spank (don’t vote for) the adults with bad behavior.
May 7, 2021, 9:47 am
Let’s consider THOSE same people ‘in favor’ of the punishment are going to be the exact ones outraged when it happens to THEIR child.
“Mine would never do that”- therefor it’s okay to do to other children. “Not mine!”
These are the same folks crying about teaching ‘social justice’ of right vs wrong within a community.
“Yes spank them for breaking the rules to teach them good behavior. Just don’t teach em about systemic racism.”
May 7, 2021, 12:29 pm
Hey Easterner, you sure make a lot of opinionated, judgmental assumptions.
May 7, 2021, 1:15 pm
I hate this: Easterner is spot on.
May 9, 2021, 12:26 am
What a great idea. That is, if you aspire to create vengeful, passive-aggressive, retaliatory, traumatized future adults.
May 10, 2021, 10:27 am
Per response to the editor: do what works. If someone breaks the law and the court sentences them a punishment that will break them of that bad behavior, then recidivism will drop. Start with pro-active education, make firm corrections when people go off in a bad direction, then punishment as a firmer correction if they are headed towards a bad end.
I was spanked just once in my life. I earned it and learned from it. Most people out there need the same.
What is happening in society today does not work. Worse, its spiraling down the drain. Things like using social workers instead of police have repeatedly failed for 70 years… repeating those types of mistakes is the definition of insanity.