Corporal punishment, Child abuse and the Public school system

I am utmost saddened when your hear or read in the news that students as young as 6 or 7 years old are being punished and humiliated by their very own teachers in front of their classmates because of their inability to read and write. Teachers are supposed to teach not punish. It is the responsibility of the teacher to inculcate lessons that their students may use in braving their future.

Grade school and elementary school students have the propensity to misbehave especially around kids their age. Even high school and college students do that. Or even adults too. And please don’t tell me that these teachers who subjected their students to punishment were not pesky students themselves when they were still in school.

A teacher’s responsibility is to teach the child. And as teachers, it is also part of their obligation to discipline the student. But I don’t think child abuse and corporal punishment is a part of the lesson taught in schools.

You don’t hear corporal punishments being used by teachers in expensive private schools. Most of the time, you hear them done in public schools. Why? Is it because parents of the students enrolled in private schools can afford to sue when their children are being harmed? Is it because parents of public school students cannot afford that’s why they choose to send their kids to public schools? Is it because of teacher-student ratio or perhaps that the classroom in private schools are well lighted and well-ventilated whilst public schools are not?

Teachers are as human as every parent can be. They too have problems of their own and they too, like most parents are struggling in their own households. When someone is struggling in their own personal lives, they have the tendency to be short tempered. Yet, I don’t see that as a reason to treat students badly. I agree that in every class, there are a few bad apples however; teachers shouldn’t allow them to rot. They should find ways to make the apples useful rather than throwing them away.

Back in the day in the province, we don’t have private elementary schools; only public ones and they are as good (academically) as with other private elementary schools. I am a product of a public school education system. And I too have been subject to corporal punishment. I remember very well this teacher who would point fingers at us, knock on our heads or let us stand for long periods when we cant answer a simple mathematical question. She would even go to the point to whipping our bottoms with broomsticks if we make a single noise while she’s checking our test papers or writing on the board. I knew even from then that what she did to us was not right. But yet, I cant bring myself to tell my parents because I know that they’ll take the teachers side.

Looking back, I would wonder if the punishments I received from school resulted my hatred for mathematics. But I have always been the resilient kind so when I went to college, I proceeded to take up engineering just to prove that I am not dumb.

I can see myself in these students who are humiliated and being punished by their teachers. I can very well see myself in them because I too, have been a student like them.

Child abuse and corporal punishment does not justify anything.



Note: There are a lot of good public school teachers out there. I've met a few who have left lasting good impressions in me. I hope their fellow teachers can learn from them.