Rico, Shall do my research and get back to you, via this forum, with as accurate info as possible - esp with regard to discipline here, in Canada, and in the U.S. (what is acceptable/permissible or not) after Monday, May 10. Hopefully, we'll get some comments from others - which may throw more light on the subject, before then. Don't want to comment right now as I'm pretty sure (but not 100%) of some facts.
Patsy ________________________________ From: Frederick Noronha <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Wed, May 5, 2010 8:09:07 PM Subject: Re: [SALIGAONET] Saligao-related issues Patsy, from what I understand, "corporal punishment" in school is still legal in some parts of the world, including 20 of the States of the USA. Is that correct? Which forms of "non-violent discipline" is currently in favour in the dominant Western discourse? Is it scolding, isolation, logical consequences, bribes or grounding? Or is non-punitive discipline the "in" thing? Would options like distraction, time-outs (for young kids), praise and rewards, natural consequences, modelling, reason or even "internal discipline and democracy" help to achieve the goal of fostering a "sound judgement and morals so the child will develop and maintain self discipline throughout the rest of his or her life"? While the Delaney case is an extreme one, I personally still favour the torture tools of our Jesuit school era. It was seldom used, but the fear of it was enough to keep one on track. I quickly learnt that there was also a strong sense of justice involved -- you seldom got it without deserving it! Some time back, when I was online, I was surprised to learn that there was even a name for the "wooden biscuit" that the priests used occasionally on the hands of very naughty boys! FN PS: If the more subtler forms of correction work, so much the better. But I don't think it's fair to expect teachers to deliver when they can't correct our kids even with a slight smack. Like doctors who fear patients filing a medical suit against them, the teachers too are on the defensive now. Obviously, it's a question of what/home much punishment is acceptable too. One teacher at our school had the habit of twisting a pencil between a naughty boy's fingers. Ouch, it was painful! But I can say that such punishment was meted out in very rare cases, and I never got the impression that it was being doled out sadistically. Sweden seems to have been the first country to ban corporal punishment at home, in 1979. In the US, "spanking," "whipping," "smacking," or "slapping" by parents is currently legal; it is also legal to use certain implements such as a belt or paddle. This seems a bit cruel to me! And btw, in Canada, spanking by parents or legal guardians (but nobody else) is legal, as long as the child is not under 2 years or over 12 years of age, and no implement other than an open, bare hand is used (belts, paddles, etc. are strictly prohibited).Looks like there's too much of an emphasis on the law and a legalistic approach, rather than allowing parents and society decide what is needed. The less the better! But the threat of using it can't be all that bad.... -- This message comes via the Google Groups "Saligao-Net" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/saligao-net?hl=en Please post regularly to keep the e-village active! -- This message comes via the Google Groups "Saligao-Net" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/saligao-net?hl=en Please post regularly to keep the e-village active!
