Newspaper Article- my perception

Title: Corporal Punishment is not the Answer
Newspaper: Trinidad Express
Date: October 11th
Author: Lennox Bernard PhD

Mr. Bernard expounded the idea of alternative methods to corporal punishment in schools. He explained the negative effects and dangers of such a resort and also gave alternative methods offered by the Ministry of Education and probably his own research. Frankly and fairly, the article was great and effective too, because I definitely caused in stir in me so much so that I chose this article to comment on. I am quite accustom to hearing people argue against the use of corporal punishment but many times these persons are not teachers. Parents too have called for the punishment to cease and I take it that this is because they don't have the kind of children that "haunt" our hallways and openly, consciously and purposefully cause serious detriment to others: that too is understood. So honestly, upon reading the article, I immediately got on my defensive and was annoyed by yet another "don't beat the children" argument.

It was only until I read his alternatives and gave arguments who which even they might fail to work as well, was when I seriously considered his point of view. I thought if he could admit that they do not always work then he is being unbiased in his claims. Furthermore he went to say that the culture of schools vary and some alternatives can be applied in certain cases whereas in other schools they are definitely out of the question. What I do find "funny" is that the parents who are mature and honest enough to admit their kids are a "terror" don't rebuke the notion of corporal punishment. For that matter, many parents in my school have come forward and asked teachers to use corporal punishment to discipline their children because they know for a fact that there is no other immediate, and I stress, immediate, method that would work as well.

"The disciplinary model of practice includes verbal reprimand, withdrawal of privileges, applying extra academic work, making reparation, a system of demerits, counselling services, detention, pupil/student courts, isolation, temporary and permanent exclusion to an alternative school setting." I quote his alternative methods because I have used such methods and I can laugh now because the boys in my school are immune to such applications. They laugh and smile at these things because they know to themselves that we are fooling ourselves. According to a classmate of mine, in a Character Education class, people need to realize we live in a physical and spiritual world, and believe it or not, many of these children are possessed. I have seen it for myself and whoever doesn't believe apparently does not read the Bible to know these things exist. They existed then and they exists now.

For my part, I use the alternative methods for my boys especially because they hate losing their play time on a lunch hour. The girls do not give me trouble to say I have to resort to anything other than a verbal warning. My boys on the other hand are another story and yet still I am thankful because it could have been worse. My boys are just playful and wild, not possessed. However, I have witnessed on more than one occasion boys who most likely were and in such cases even corporal punishment can't stop them. They have been to counsellors, social workers, psychiatrists, given detention, a beating, lines, called in parents, the full works. What is more worrying is that some of the deeds they do not point to or give evidence as to the root of the problem. They have manipulated even psychiatrist and the principal on many occasions to think that they own up to their deeds and will even apologize and give logical explanations as to why he did things and apologize. After this the psychiatrist thinks they have succeeded, then as soon as he walks away the terror starts and he smiles while doing it. In such cases, when all else fails, what are teachers supposed to do?