I don't know whether it was the journalist or Tory MSP Alex Johnstone who got this wrong, but I had to laugh when he was quoted in today's times, calling for the return of the belt to schools, as saying "School discipline is reaching crisis point and giving individual head teachers the power to decide whether or not to use capital punishment would be a good move."
I am sure that even the Tories wouldn't approve of executions at play time.
It's of course disappointing that they can't come up with anything more imaginative than a return to the days of the belt. It is perfectly possible to instil good discipline and be strict without the use of violence. My friend works in a school for children who have been seriously damaged by their upbringings. It's a very positive place, with a lot of work being done to raise the children's self esteem and expectations of themselves. Discipline is firm - but corporal punishment, even if it were an option, is not needed.
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4 comments:
"It is perfectly possible to instil good discipline and be strict without the use of violence."
Agreed! But, it's not easy at all and we still fail countless of our students through being unable to control them properly.
There's just no way that corporal punishment returning would be of benefit to our modern society. The children are completely different to those in education when corporal punishment was used frequently. It wouldn't work because it's just one step higher than whatever the current maximum punishment is, before being expelled. Children care little for levels of punishment these days [and I'm sure there were plenty back in the day], all they want is consistency from those punishing them so they know and respect their boundaries.
In my day we had an electric chair in the prefects' common room and a gibbet in the school hall and I can tell you that we were a lot better behaved than these modern feral hooligans.
I was executed three times - it taught me to respect my elders and made me into the man I am today.
I will admit that some of the tougher lads used to laugh at the prospect of going to the chair. At the time several teachers were agitating for the reintroduction of ritual disembowelling as the ultimate sanction for the unruly boy and I dare say it would have done the trick.
Brilliant, Costigan. Made me laugh out loud.
Captial punishment is hardly going to help in schools, more likely to see an increase in the number of knive crimes on teachers as pupils try to defend themselves. ;)
But what a blunder. As a victim of only rap on the knuckles from a ruler when aged 11 I know it worked for me, however today you'd find the school getting sued for laying a finger on any pupil. We live in different times.
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