Paddling Makes a Comeback
In a world where everything is offensive and spanking a child can be considered abuse, schools in Temple, Texas, are going back to the way of the paddle for quick punishment. In years past when there were no smart phones or ESPN, students in schools were taken to the office or taken outside to get a quick paddling from an administrator. But as times changed, paddling became a thing of the past. The move in Temple has created a buzz about whether this controversial and “barbaric” form of punishment should be allowed.
In the twenty-first century, views on paddling teens or children have changed, but it is hard not to view paddling as necessary. Proverbs 13:24 says, “He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.” Does that verse mean to paddle physically or does it simply mean to discipline in some manner? Whether paddling should be considered abuse or as an essential means of discipline is being widely debated. When parents put their kids into school, they are entrusting the school to take care of their children for roughly seven hours of the day. The school is the parent in this case and is responsible for the discipline of the child if he misbehaves in school. Today, problem kids are put in ISS (in school suspension). In ISS, kids just sit by themselves and finish homework for the day in the comfort of five feet by four feet room. ISS doesn’t sound intimidating enough that a child or teen would be afraid of if he got in trouble. However, I am pretty sure a couple of hard paddles to the behind would be a little scarier or at least more uncomfortable than a day in ISS.
The paddling issue can be tricky because each parent’s view on paddling really depends on how they were raised. If a parent grew up in a house where the paddle was hanging on the kitchen door and would be used at any time to fix a behavioral problem, then those parents would not think twice about spanking or paddling their child. On the other hand, other parents might have grown up never seeing a paddle, being grounded or just lost their allowance instead when they required discipline. Those parents might be opposed to using the paddle and would rather send their kid to his room instead of paddling.
In Temple where the local high school brought the paddling policy out of the grave, the school has remarked that discipline issues have plummeted and the number of people goofing off in class has been greatly reduced. According to Jeff Charles of www.nospank.net, “Paddling has been banned in twenty-seven states and one third of school paddlings occur in Texas.” Nospank.net suggested that while paddling does not improve SAT scores or graduation rates, paddling can strike fear into some troublemakers’ eyes if the paddle swings down with enough force. The fact that kids are being paddled and not just being set aside for holding in ISS has been a great factor in changing the way kids act at the high school in Temple. ISS in schools is not a place of consequence but more of a chore or in some people’s mind, a blessing. Kids “back in the day” didn’t have ISS but rather the paddle hanging on the wall waiting to be used. Kids didn’t act up as much because of their fear of the paddle. In today’s world, we don’t have that fear anymore of the dreaded paddle. Kids now act up but know that there is no immediate punishment, only a day in a small room with the opportunity to finish their homework they probably procrastinated on anyways.
The issue of paddling is just too big for both sides to agree. Paddling a child in school is strictly up to the school and its administration. The paddle would reduce school discipline problems like it did in Temple and would be something that could really affect the behavior of students in a positive way. Historically, it was a very effective way of handling unruly children and kids in school were afraid to act up in class because of the consequences the paddle provided. A paddle is a better solution than ISS and is a more time efficient manner of discipline. However, it is too offensive for many parents who grew up without being spanked. Paddling may not help reduce teen pregnancy and crime rates or increase graduation rates, but it is an effective discipline tool. Those who oppose paddling say it is up to the parents to decide what to do with their child’s discipline problems at school and not the administration. On the other side of the issue, those who favor paddling say they are entrusting their child to the school for a big part of the day. If their child acted up at home, he would get paddled, so why not allow the school to do it to help reinforce that philosophy? If the paddle came back into place, perhaps kids would think twice about acting up. Perhaps it would also have a positive effect on overall school behavior.