Teachers - would YOU be prepared to use a cane?

[Greensleeves]

Inspired by Hulababy's fantastic post on the other thread

SURELY this could never work, because teachers would refuse? I don't know any teachers IRL who would be happy to hit a child with a stick and would be surprised to meet someone who would.

Wouldn't teachers protest/walk out/take some sort of group action to prevent this from happening in our schools? Please, tell me society can't actually go backwards!

I wish any child who is being abused would report it. I am glad you are not breaking the law though. Reporting parental abuse isn't turning children against their parents. It is child protection. Children deserve to be protected.

I have managed to follow rules and regulations too. I got all the way through school and did very well without a single teacher ever laying a finger on me or any other child in the school. I might have had the odd smack off the parents now and then but they would never once have entertained the idea of hitting us with a cane. Also I managed to do what I was told without having to be under threat of a smack if I didn't. I am sorry you think I have been rude, I have simply pointed out that teachers won't hit children with sticks because it is illegal and most of us consider it to be immoral too. I'm also sorry that you can't understand why caning children is not allowed. Fortunately it isn't allowed and that is that.
Here are ten reasons why physical punishment is not desirable or effective:

www.naturalchild.org/jan_hunt/tenreasons.html

Children learn mostly by example. Caning people is setting a bad example.

Because I'd already shouted at him many times over many run-onto-road incidents but he forgets the following day, or rather, doesn't care, even today he ignores any advice, teaching or telling off on most things, it's just how he is. Then the one time came when it got SO CLOSE to him getting hit by a car I pulled him back and smacked him. Do you know how difficult it is for a 8 month pregnant mum to chase a running toddler who had pulled his hand off my own suddenly and ran onto the road? Do you think I smack for the fun of it? I detest smacking. Only used as last resort, which is why I said I preferred controlled caning.. i.e. I want to be able to by law say to my child after that dangerous situation - "....You will be caned on the hand when you get home .... etc" rather than just smacking him. I actually agree with you that smacking is much more like uncontrolled hitting.

Just the threat of it, not actually caning, would probably have stopped my child doing it in the first place. But because there is no such threat or measure, he had no fear of just running away from me and onto the road. This will be the same for young children in school, no fear of doing something wrong. (child thinks - I get told off or expelled, so what?) I'm not asking that the child ends up fearing the adult, just fear doing wrong or bad things, knowing that certain bad or dangerous behaviour results in being caned. Caned, NOT abused, very different in a child's mind.

I know I'm quite alone with this as most people seem to think that CP does not change behaviour and attitude. Not quite sure why as it was extremely effective on me, siblings and classmates. not detrimental whatsoever (except for people who think of me as being an abuser now! )

Well if you think the threat of being hit with a weapon might stop him doing it again, who knows, you might be right. Be a bit difficult once he's old enough to grab the weapon off you and use it on you though, I'd think.

If you can make him stand still while you hit him, you can hold his wrist and stop him running away, surely? Why would he be less likely to run from you and your weapon than he would to run into the road?

timetosleepnow - you need reins

I suggest using the pushchair for crossing the road then he is strapped in for safety. Or reins. Your child is not old enough to understand the actions/danger/consequences thing.

Yes, I've got reins now.

Malcon(malcolm?) I was control-caned as a child, at no point growing up did I think "oooh, I'm bigger than my mum/dad now. I shall take a weapon and hit them with it". Siblings and I have utmost respect and love towards my parents.

How very odd to think that.. is that coming from a mind of someone who has never been canned (i.e. people who were never canned have more violent thoughts, perhaps?) I'd better stop as I think I've hijacked this post for too long trying to understand why teachers won't cane. Thank you all for sharing your views. I may convert one day. :)

Timetosleepnow,

Did you smacking him stop him running into the road? If not, then how do you think hitting him with a cane is going to?

Or is what you are saying that the threat of a cane would stop him, where the threat of a smack did not?

He's 2. He's not old enough to make the 'safe / not safe' decisions you are asking him to make. He needs protecting, and preventing from carrying out unsafe behaviour, rather than threats of violence. Hold his hand. If that doesn't work, use reins or strap him into a pushchair. IUf he starts to behave better, progress back to holding hands, if he behaves worse, go back to reins / pushchair.

'Note, a liberal is only a liberal until something happens to them or their loved ones.

Well that's crap; my son has been beaten at school to the extent of acquiring shoe shaped bruises: still anti caning, still liberal.

Not a teacher but do spend time within school in the classroom and no, I would not do it, ever. I was hit regualrly by parents throughout my childhood and it taught me that I was not worth respect theya fforded to everyone else who crossed their path.

Not a hope in hell.

SMA, Ditto - still a liberal despite a son who was bullied (physically and verbally) as a 5 year old to the point where he became a selective mute and still (5 years later) has a speech hesitation / impairment.

What would caning the child who pinched him so often while sitting next to him that he had bruises all down one side have told him except that 'people with power use it to hit people - I want power, so I will hit people too'?

No, I've never been canned. Yes, that's why I have violent horrible thoughts about, um...... beating two year olds.

I don't think you're making a lot of sense, to be honest.

I don't think you can compare smacking your own child with caning one of your pupils.

I am obviously a bit thick too, because I can't see me needing to stop a 2 year old from running into the road as part of my role as a secondary teacher.

Well I'm a teacher and I'd DEFINITELY be willing to use a cane...

... on any other teacher that I saw hitting a pupil.

I wouldn't do it myself (especially because I would never get to that point without having lost control and if I was prone to losing control around kids I wouldn't teach them...), but I'm not completely 100% against it, because in the long run I don't think it's harmful or likely to cause any terrible psychological scarring. And I have no problem using it as a deterrent for the worst things, because you expel kids if they do really bad things, so you'd never really need it. My problem with it is that I don't know how well it works and that we do know that just normal discipline works, so we should use that instead. What we need is home and school working together, not one overcompensating for the other.