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Original poster

Would you let a teacher smack your child?

96 replies

lyrasdaemon · 03/10/2008 11:54

According to a survey in today's Times Educational Supplement, 20 per cent of teachers favour a return to corporal punishment. The story can be found here.

Are there any circumstances in which you would let a teacher inflict corporal punishment on your child, or are you opposed to it full stop?

OP posts:
SmugColditz · 03/10/2008 13:46

I think they shouldn't bring coperel punishment into schools until they bring it into the judicial system. Lets see how well it works on 35 year olds before we start doing it to small children, hey?

RedOnHerHead · 03/10/2008 13:53

No way - I always said when i was in school that it wouldn't bother me if they brought back corporal punishment, my thinking was that if you were good, you would have nothing to fear - however there are just some teachers out there that would become power crazed and would abuse it.

Now, as an adult, I would not allow it at all - I occasionally got told off in primary and secondary school when it wasn't my fault - if corporal punishment came back then it would be awful.

I don't smack - There have been occasions when I have hit my DS's hand - and i felt dreadful after it and I don't believe it works - as a rule, I don't like it and I don't do it myself - now if he winds me up that badly (very rarely) he goes in his room so we can both calm down. Why should someone else be allowed to do it? It would be taking a step back in my opinion and if it did happen, then i think i would probably start home teaching.

RedOnHerHead · 03/10/2008 13:54

SmugColditz - well said

scaryteacher · 03/10/2008 13:59

The only teacher who can smack my ds is me.

lazymumofteenagesons · 03/10/2008 15:02

No one else is allowed to wallop my children except me.

mabanana · 03/10/2008 15:04

the teachers on the TES site are 90per cent raving nutters as far as I can see (and totally unrepresentative of normal teachers!), so this doesn't surprise me. I don't think any of the teachers at ds's school are itching to flog their pupils. Kill them, maybe

wotulookinat · 03/10/2008 15:06

Ahem, I am one of those teachers on the TES site.
I'm going to make a grand assumption that your kids are the majority who are reasonably well-behaved and wouldn't need punishing in such a manner

Saturn74 · 03/10/2008 15:08

"20 per cent of teachers favour a return to corporal punishment"

Ok then, stick 10% in the blue corner, 10% in the red corner, and let them battle it out.

Queensbury Rules apply ie: no flinging of board rubbers.

£14.99 on pay-per-view.

Bargain.

cory · 03/10/2008 15:44

I have worked as a supply teacher in some fairly rought schools and I would not be impressed by a teacher who had no other resources than smacking a child.

When I was a child smacking was banned in Swedish schools and permitted in English schools- it was still the English schools that had the big discipline problems. I don't think corporal punishment makes a problem go away.

DeJaVous · 03/10/2008 15:50

There was an article/discussion about this on Today (Radio 4) this morning.

Under no circumstances would I want my children to be subject to corporal punishment. I'm shocked that so many teachers are in favour of it.

cat64 · 03/10/2008 15:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

snowleopard · 03/10/2008 16:00

Absolutely cory. It's not lack of pointless and cruel violence against children that causes our discipline problems. When we had corporal punishment, it didn't work - otherwise why the hell would the same child be hit over and over? It was abused by sadistic and perverted teachers, it terrified the well-behaved children and brutalised the ones with problems.

When we had capital punishment, it didn't stop crime either.

Better behaviour in schools comes from children being brought up respectfully and with love and solid boundaries from a very early age IMO, and from them feeling like they have an investment and interest in their school. It can be done. it's just much harder work and much longer-term than taking out your (understandable) frustrations by whacking someone.

LynetteScavo · 03/10/2008 16:05

I wouldn't send my child to a school where corporal punishment might be used.

I'd rather home ed.

rebelmum1 · 03/10/2008 16:15

No but they do need a discipline system that's effective, not sure what the answer is.

rebelmum1 · 03/10/2008 16:16

bootcamp? ..the stocks ..

pooka · 03/10/2008 16:21

No I wouldn't send my children to a school with corporal punishment.

LittleBella · 03/10/2008 18:02

It's not 20% of teachers, it's 20% of those on the TES site. Some of the TES site participants can only be described as nutters, they are truly frightening.

Why am I not surprised that the UN has yet again pointed out what a shit attitude this country has to children? news story here

cornsilk · 03/10/2008 18:04

TES website is a very scary place.

Reallytired · 03/10/2008 18:15

lol ...

I can think of a few kids at the school I work at who might deserve a clip round the ear. But seriously I don't know of any teacher in real life who wants a return to corporal punishment. I think the idea of a teacher smacking a child is hideous.

Admtially if my son made his teacher's life hell, I would punish him severely. Probably ban him from watching TV rather than smacking him though.

What is needed is for children to have less rights and schools to be able to punish children by conventional means without being sued. The balance of power is far too much in favour of children. For example a child or a parent can make a malicous allegation without any consequence.

Ie. Head teachers need to be allowed to excluded really unruly children rather than the process of excluding a child taking for ever.

It would be interesting if parents were fined for persistant non attendence of detentions. Some parents don't care a sh!t about their children's behaviour and think its funny when little Tomy is excluded for violence. Prehaps there needs to be complusory parenting classes for parents of children who are persistantly distruptive.

I can understand why some teachers might want a return to corporal punishment. If you want to be flippment then it might be more sense to cane the parents than the child.

hecate · 03/10/2008 18:17

No way. I don't smack and I would hit the roof if anyone else laid a finger on either of my kids.

Divvy · 03/10/2008 18:26

oh let them throw a bit of chalk or the board wiper instead....did me no harm

ruty · 03/10/2008 18:33

agree with littleBella. We have a truly shit attitude to children in the UK.

Blandmum · 03/10/2008 18:35

As a teacher I wouldn't want to do it, and wouldn't do it.

however I would like to see a return to the standards of behaviour that existed at that time.

If for no other reason that teachers shouldn't be at risk of asault in the classroom as they are at present.

AbbeyA · 03/10/2008 22:39

I wouldn't want to smack a child. I don't expect any teacher does really, they would just like parents to send their DC to school with a reasonable standard of behaviour. It can be frustrating to have to deal with the sort of behaviour that the parent should never have allowed them to get away with in the first place!

wotulookinat · 03/10/2008 22:41

Well said, AbbeyA!

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