Corporal punishment of students has been ever decreasing in modern schools, however it is still not outlawed in all states. The idea that such actions can still have a place in public schooling is ridiculous.
As long as teachers have used corporal punishment for students who are misbehaving the effect it has on student behavior while seemingly producing positive results has had negative impact. “A meta-analysis of 75 studies on spanking found that it contributed to aggression, mental health and social esteem problems and antisocial behavior in children,” according to a CNN article on the subject.
The use of corporal punishment also can impact a student’s academic abilities. The use of corporal punishment does not typically result in improvements in academic performance but instead a decrease in students academic performance. While the severity of punishment does not always align with the action for which a student is being punished. “Delorenzo said the shocks…can be applied to children for minor offenses such as ‘failure to maintain a neat appearance’ and whispering,” these being punishments given in a school covered in a Boston Globe article.
The argument for corporal punishment in schools is that if it worked in the past and is essential to control students. When the supreme court case Ingraham vs. Wright “The Court said that reasonable physical discipline at school doesn’t violate the Constitution,” according to the NY Times article on the subject However, the world’s understanding of human behavior has improved, specifically with regards to depression and anxiety. Both of which are negatively impacted by corporal punishment.
Works Cited
“Corporal Punishment ‘Worked in Schools’.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 27 July 2004, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-311794/Corporal-punishment-worked-schools.html.
Allen, Scott. “N.Y. Debates Mass. School’s Shock Use.” Boston.com, The Boston Globe, 23 May 2006, archive.boston.com/yourlife/health/mental/articles/2006/05/23/ny_debates_mass_schools_shock_use/.
Jacobs, Tom. “10 Supreme Court Cases Every Teen Should Know.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 15 Sept. 2008, archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20080915monday.html.
LaMotte, Sandee. “Teens Fight Less When Spanking Is Banned.” CNN, Cable News Network, 15 Oct. 2018, www.cnn.com/2018/10/15/health/spanking-ban-global-youth-violence/index.html.
McCord, Brook. “Physical Abuse and Punishment Impact Children’s Academic Performance.” ScienceDaily, Penn State, 29 Sept. 2017, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170929152212.htm.
