Hello Mel This was obviously an extreme case and I personally feel that the teacher involved acted entirely properly and within the boundaries of political correctness, for want of a better term. We were all shocked when this case hit the local news. It is entirely unacceptable that a pupil or student be permitted to enter a school, college or indeed any other public establishment carrying a weapon. There is absolutely no justification whatsoever for carrying any form of knife, let alone a Swiss Army knife which is a particularly vicious form of weapon.
Regarding the more generic issue of corporal punishment; I would first make it clear that I did not, nor would I ever, advocate the use of a ruler or any other implement to chastise a child. However, I do feel that there are occasions when a light slap on the wrist is appropriate. I have children placed in my care every working day of my life just at the moment. I always have parents sign an indemnity form when they submit a child into the care of my establishment. That form clearly states that, although the use of excessive force is strictly prohibited by any member of my staff, they must have the right to exercise discretion in order to maintain discipline. It is extremely rare that any form of corporal punishment is administered in my establishment. When that does happen, it is an absolute on the part of my staff except in very rare and exceptional cases that two members of staff must be present when any punishment of this nature is administered in order to ensure impartia l, fair and correct behaviour. In cases where we feel a child is behaving consistently unacceptably, we would always bring in one or both of the parents or any legal guardian to discuss the next course of action with them. Never, absolutely never, would we go further than a light slap on the wrist. If that measure doesn't achieve the desired result, then we would, as I say, discuss the child's future participation within the facilities we offer with their parents or legal guardian. It is not our place to bring up a child on behalf of a parent. Our role is purely as carers. Although strictly speaking we are not educators, we do teach. We find that by offering a child a constructive way to use their time, they usually respond in a positive and mutually beneficial manner. Socialisation is a skill which I believe children should learn from a very young age. I have to admit that I was absolutely gob-smacked when an American mother told me recently that in some states within the US, parents are not obligated to enter their children into the education system until the age of 8. I am told that is the law in Pensilvania, for instance. If true, I think those who drafted that legislation must be totally out of touch with reality. Children absolutely must be taught before that age and I would certainly not wish to see any child deprived of their primary education in that way. Be that as it may, the discussion here is more along the lines of corporal punishment. In summary, I would advocate the use of light slaps, but no more. Children have the right to be protected from violence on the part of their elders. Indeed, they have the right to be protected from violence on the part of their peers also. And that is part of socialisation. Children can never start to learn to socialise at too young an age. The earlier they start, the better; and yes, I do mean that literally. Of course, it is a mother's perfect right to bring up her child as she and, hopefully, the child's father, see fit. Again, a carer's role is to care for, that is to say, tend to the needs of a child whilst the parents or other legal guardians are absent. It is the function of educators to "Educate" the child at a later stage. We just try to help the parents along a little during the early years of a child's life and we find that the vast majority, I would go so far as to say 999 out of a thousand parents or guardians approve of how we care for their infants. But I will make this clear again, just so that we all know where we're going. The use of a ruler, stick, cane or other object should never ever be used to chastise a child. If I ever became aware that a member of my own staff was behaving towards children in that manner, she or he would be dismissed on the spot. Lynne On 15 Oct 2012, at 03:10, "Melissa Wobschall" <[email protected]> wrote: Since the teachers and the students were in danger, I think they did the male teacher who walked in and took the knife from the student in absolutely the right thing. It shocked me when you said the parents of the child filed a formal complaint against the man. Really, why would they let their child go to school with a Swiss Army Kinfe, or any kind of knife? No weapons or anything that looks like a weapon are allowed in Ian and Caitlin's school and I think that's more than a fair rule: it's safe. Now, as far as slapping a child with a ruler if he or she mouths off to the teacher, I think there are far better forms of discipline than striking a child for that. It saddens me more that the parents think they are doing the right thing for standing up for their boy. Do they have morals, or do they lso need behavioral treatment? It's shameful. ======================================== The Just-chat E-Mail forum is guaranteed malware, spyware, Trojan, virus and worm-free To modify your subscription options, please visit for forum's dedicated web pages located at: <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/just-chat> You can find an archive of all messages posted to the just-chat group at either of the following: <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/pipermail/just-chat/index.html> or: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> You may subscribe with your RSS reader at the following URL: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml> ---------------------------------------
