Okay mommas, this is one to talk about. Did you know until recently some schools were still allowed to spank? I didn't.

The School Board at this point has banned all spanking in Polk.

What do you ladies think? Do you think this ruling reflects the communities wish, or yours? Do you think spanking should be allowed or not allowed?

If any of you are willing, let me know if any of you got the paddle when little .

I never did, I was a good girl, or maybe I was good at not getting caught ?


http://www.theledger.com/article/20080724/NEWS/80724057...ttom_In_Polk_Schools

We would never allow anyone else to discipline our children by way of spanking or swats. I think I need it better defined anyway. Spanking is continuous hitting, but a swat or two is different. School aged children understand that consequences can sometimes follow behavior in time, so if parents include swats in discipline, it should occur in the home, by the parents, if they choose. Giving that authority to someone else doesn't cut if for me. Someone else could easily take it to the next level and overdo, it's a very fine line. Discipline by way of swats means behavior was more severe, thus should be deferred to parents. Discipline of lesser infractions - time out of activities, withholding of privilege, that sort of thing. I don't recall getting a swat in school, however, I think my husband chose that once in high school. I'll have to ask him again.

YEAH,SHAWN, WE KNOW YOU JUST NEVER GOT CAUGHT...HEE-HEE. I DID GET CAUGHT AND I DID GET PADDLED TWICE.

I AM KINDA TORN ON THIS DECISION, THE ONLY REASON I SAY THIS IS BECAUSE THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THAT JESSICA WENT TO (SH'E NOW IN 8TH GRADE) DID STILL PADDLE. AND LET ME TELL YOU IT WAS A PLUS, FOR DISCIPLINE IN THE SCHOOL IN GENERAL. THEY KNEW (THE KIDS) OF THIS AND IT KINDA KEPT THEM STRAIGHT. THE PRINCIPLE THERE RETIRED LAST YEAR, SHE WAS WONDERFUL. AND NOT ONLY DID SHE PADDLE, BUT SHE MADE IT AN EXPERIENCE THEY WOULD NEVER FORGET.

IN SAYING THAT, SHE WOULD ACTUALLY WAIT UNTIL LUNCH TIME, WHEN ALL OF THE CHILDREN WERE IN THE LUNCH ROOM, TO PERSONALLY PULL THE CHILD IN FRONT OF EVERYONE AND TAKE THEM TO THE OFFICE (TO BE TALKED TO OR PADDLED OR BOTH). MOST OF THE TIME IT DID NOT END UP IN A PADDLE SITUATION, BUT THE THOUGHT OF THIS FOR MOST, KEPT THEM FROM GETTING INTO TROUBLE. IT REALLY WAS AN INTIMIDATION FACTOR MORE THAN ANYTHING, BUT THEY ALL KNEW THAT IT WAS A POSSIBILTY THAT THIS MIGHT HAPPEN.

NOW TAKING THAT INTIMIDATION FACTOR AWAY, WHAT IS LEFT, SEND THEM HOME FOR A DAY? WELL I HAVE FOUND IN MOST KIDS, THIS REALLY DOESN'T WORK, THATS WHERE THEY WANT TO BE ANYWAY. PUT THEM IN DETENTION, AN HOUR OR TWO AFTER SCHOOL OR ON A SATURDAY, YEAH IT MIGHT WORK, BUT ALSO VERY INCONVENIENT FOR THE PARENTS, SO THEN YOU HAVE THE PARENTS, GROUND OR SPANK FOR THAT MATTER, BUT IT STILL DOESN'T GIVE THEM THAT FEAR FACTOR FOR THE TEACHER OR ADMINISTRATOR.

I KNOW ALL OF US TRY TO MAKE SURE OUR CHILDREN ARE RESPECTFUL TO THESE AUTHORITY FIGURES, BUT WHEN THEY ARE AROUND OTHER CHILDREN, OR PEER PRESSURES, THESE THINGS MAY CHANGE, UNLESS THEY DO HAVE THAT FEAR OF THEM, THAT THEY DO HAVE "SOME" TYPE OF THE "I'M REALLY GONNA GET IT IF I DO THIS", I DON'T BELIEVE THIS WOULD BE A CHANGE FOR THE GOOD.

ON THE FLIP SIDE YOU DO HAVE SOME ADULTS THAT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS. YOU ALSO HAVE ADULTS THAT TAKE IT TOO FAR, AND THOSE PERVS OUT THERE AND THE CHILD ABUSERS. WHERE DO YOU STOP?

I'm also torn on this issue.

I grew up in a small school where "paddlin" (we're from the south) was still allowed and USED. That being said, my parents had an agreement with the school that none of their children would be paddled without consulting with my parents first. Luckily, my mom was a stay-at-home/homemaker so if/when we did get sent to the principal she could easily get there to confer and witness to make sure it wasn't ever taken too far.

I never was paddled (or even got sent to the office ~ I really was a goody goody ), but both of my brothers had a couple of visits. Not many though, like someone else said, knowing that was the end result made most of the kids think twice before doing something!

I think both of my brothers were actually paddled once, and then the other time my mom was called she refused to let them be paddled (which was respected) because of the situation. Another child was physically bullying the younger of my two brothers and my older brother stepped in, which my mom wouldn't let them be paddled for (although they did get a talking to about going to a teacher sooner).

It concerns me, not so much that paddlin specifically is gone, but that there isn't much in the way of discipline at all in schools anymore. And I agree 100% that it has to start at home, but when you send a child somewhere for 6-8 hours everyday and they know that no matter what they do they can't <i>really</i> be punished for it you're going to have some problems. Sending a child home for the day or week, or putting them in ISS where they get to nap for an hour isn't punishment to most kids.

But then I guess I'm old fashioned in general. I think if a kid misbehaves in class instead of sending him home (which, like said before is what most of them want anyway) make them stay after school and wash dry erase boards, sweep floors, straighten classrooms, etc.! Or heaven forbid, make them write an essay on why what they did is wrong. And make them keep writing it until they put an honest effort in to it (that's what my mom made me do the one time as a child I decided to write down every curse word I had ever heard...1,000 words on why I shouldn't curse...I didn't curse again for a very long time!). And if they do something severe enough to be "suspended" then instead of just sending them home for a week's vacation make arrangements with a city work crew or something for them to have to work for that week (I know, child labor blah blah blah...it will never happen).

OK, I realize that got kind of off course, but I guess my general response is I'm torn (I think I said that in the first sentence )!

When spankings first started, I wrote a "letter to the editor" against. I had a child about to start school. That was some 25 years ago. Now, I have greater concerns---tasers used by in school deputies. More & more deaths are caused by these things. Report yesterday of a 21 year old already dead after 4 shots from this weapon, and deputy kept using it.
These should not be used at all, but are being used in our schools. Parents, please, think about the power that you are allowing underpaid, angry, frustrated, BIG ADULTS, when you agree to any kind of physical punsihment in schools. Tasers shouldn't be used on teenagers, and should be illegal with younger children.
Respect should be taught to our children & shown to adults in school. However, the adults need to show respect to the students & parents.

Not to put too fine a point on it, I think it's obscene that they were ever allowed to do it.

There are other effective means of disciplining kids and they work.

quote:

Shawn Arnold
Posted 24 July 2008 09:12 AM
Okay mommas, this is one to talk about. Did you know until recently some schools were still allowed to spank? I didn't.

The School Board at this point has banned all spanking in Polk.

What do you ladies think? Do you think this ruling reflects the communities wish, or yours? Do you think spanking should be allowed or not allowed?

If any of you are willing, let me know if any of you got the paddle when little .

I never did, I was a good girl, or maybe I was good at not getting caught ?


http://www.theledger.com/article/20080724/NEWS/80724057...ttom_In_Polk_Schools

~Mother to Brandon, Austin, Ethan, Ryan and Lillian~
Posts: 1375 | Location: Bartow | Registered: 13 February 2008

I'll share my spanking story ~ I went to a private Christian school almost up to high school. (This was in a different state, btw,) but in Kindergarten, I'll never forget this, here I was 5 years old, new to school obviously, there was a test. My pencil lead broke, I asked another student if they had an extra pencil, the teacher (Mrs. Hawthorne) was looking through the door watching everyone, saw me talking to another student, came and grabbed me up and took me to the Principle's office, and spanked me with a wooden paddle. She would not even hear or accept my reason for talking during the test.

My Mother had to go to school during that same year and tell this teacher to let me go to the bathroom if I needed to because she was not letting me.

Anyway, I'm against school paddling these days.

However, I would trust my kid's Grandparents to swat my kids if they misbehaved. Simply because I know them well, and know that they would never hurt my kids because they love them too much.

I hate even th idea of spankings, but a swat on the behind to get their attention once in a while can be necessary, especially if you have a child who will not listen or could hurt themselves or others inadvertantly.

And I have a close friend who was literally beatem as a child. She is very anti~spanking, and I know exactly where it comes from. And btw, she's is one of the finest Moms you could ever want to meet. And quite naturally, to this day, she is a strong advocate against spanking, other than the kind of swat I mentioned by a parent, or trusted Grandparent (in my case, sadly, not hers.)

i do not believe in spanking or hitting in school. but i do believe there should be discipline. why not get creative with it. if a kid is bad make them run the track for a while. or clean the black board. do janitorial things. what ever it takes so they don't want to do it again.
the schools i went to were northern really small schools. when i was in kindergarden i was bad only once. they had a time out chair. i only had to sit in it once to learn thats not where i wanted to be. and they sent a note home to my mom and she told everyone i had to sit in time out. i was sooo embarrassed.
i did have one teacher who hit kids that where bad. i only ever seen him hit 2 kids. one kid he hit soo hard across the face he had a hugh red hand mark. the other kid got slapped with a pointer thing across his knuckles and he had a mark for the rest of the day. that teacher took it too far.
i also agree with little t's remark about kids who get suspended. they should have to work on a road cleaning crew for the week or something that gets them away from there home.
the other thing that drives me crazy is half these bad kids there parents are to blame. if the parents don't care why are the kids going to care about school, about getting in trouble.

I have a very dear friend who is a Kindergarten teacher who told me about this months ago (that they were allowed to spank) and I really didn't believe her. She did say it worked for a few of their troubled kids.
I am not sure how I feel....I guess for my daughter, much smaller punishments would work for her but if I had a child that needed this kind of punishment....I might prefer that they call me instead of the school doing it. But then again, I might change my thoughts when it came down to it. You know?

But they don't always, or usually, call the parents first. AGAIN, be aware of the tasers, also. Do you honestly believe that elementary schools need deputies to discipline? Most youngsters are still terrified by being sent to the principal's office. If parents are no longer allowed to seriously discipline, sans DCF, then why should a stranger physically correct our children? There should be no spankings, never should have been in school. And absolutely NO TASERS.

quote:

Originally posted by Mommy-of-2:
I have a very dear friend who is a Kindergarten teacher who told me about this months ago (that they were allowed to spank) and I really didn't believe her. She did say it worked for a few of their troubled kids.
I am not sure how I feel....I guess for my daughter, much smaller punishments would work for her but if I had a child that needed this kind of punishment....I might prefer that they call me instead of the school doing it. But then again, I might change my thoughts when it came down to it. You know?