Ban on corporal punishment
By Oh Jung-hun
About a month ago, it was reported that an elementary school teacher assaulted one of his students for not submitting his daily diary.
It was quite obvious to most observers that the teacher lost his temper over a relatively minor violation. Being a teacher myself, I have also encountered similar student misdemeanors.
One must ask whether a teacher is ever warranted in taking such drastic action as kicking and slapping a student. Are we ever justified in the profession in adopting a stance of ``tough love” or using the ``stick of love,” in which our corrections are designed to shape or mold character?
It is my view that whenever corporal punishment becomes entwined with our private emotions, we enter dangerous territory.
In the past, corporal punishment in the classroom was tacitly approved. Many educators felt that it was the best and most appropriate method in deterring misdemeanors.
It was a common sight to see seniors and teachers carrying sticks and applying punishment for a whole range of misdemeanors ranging from school uniform irregularities to the inappropriate books in bags.
I can also remember that my hair was bulldozed by a battery-charged cutter, and a stony gym teacher whipped those late for school without any remorse.
Far worse was that he often discharged his anger to the fullest in situations where a student simply didn’t respond adequately to one of his questions. This type of corporal punishment was accepted as long as students made mistakes.
In addition, a large number of parents supported or at least were not opposed to the teachers’ sticks, provided the students didn’t suffer excessive physical injuries. They totally entrusted their children’s control and discipline to the teachers. As a consequence, there were few problems related to corporal punishment between parents and teachers.
In the past two decades things have changed. Nowadays, the paradigm of education has shifted toward one of supply and demand, a theory of economics.
The student is a recipient and demander, ceaselessly calling for a better quality of education. The teacher becomes the supplier. I recently recognized this within my own working environment. My role had become that of supplier. I was attempting to meet the many needs and demands of my students. In these modern times, mobile technology images and recordings can easily be taken and posted online or sent to other forms of media.
As a result, what happens in a classroom either in terms of words or actions is no longer confined to the classroom. Moreover, a number of parents and students have strong views on what roles a teacher should fulfill within the classroom.
Within this service and supplier paradigm, it seems likely that there will be differing views on the role, if any, which corporal punishment plays in schools. We currently seem to be in a transitional period, in which the future of punishment and discipline in schools is open for debate.
In my school, corporal punishment in any form is not permitted. Instead, my school chose an alternative penalty, a cumulative point system. Since its initiation, there have been a few trials and errors. It was still necessary to determine ways in which it could be adequately applied to such chronic misdemeanors as disobedience, negligence and immorality. Awarding or penalizing students points in a carrot and stick approach has proven highly successful.
Above all, the religious ethos also contributes to the quick establishment of a penalty sticker system. However, the system still requires work.
Corporal punishment I would argue provides a negative model for discipline and control. We need to initiate and encourage alternatives in more positive ways to provide discipline and correction while still showing respect to each student and not hurting students emotionally or physically.
I also think that it will take considerable time to balance the pros and cons regarding whether corporal punishment is to be fully abolished or partially retained. It is high time that we made a sensible choice for the next generation.
The writer teaches at a girls’ high school in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. He can be reached at dicaprik@hanmail.net.