Is paddling ‘violence’?

More reader reactions on school discipline. This from Richard Matthies:

“I was ‘paddled’ by two different principals on several occasions for being ‘unruly’ (which I was). Each time I got more punishment at home. I have never been violent as an adult. I disagree with Tom Billing’s statement that ‘…violence (corporal punishment) teaches students that violence is an option.’ Webster’s defines violence as ‘a destructive force.’ Corporal punishment is an instructional force used to focus a student’s attention on the seriousness of their misdeeds usually after other methods of punishment have failed.

“Having been effectively used with prior generations I do not disagree with him that it likely is not effective today due to the lack of parental support for it. Today’s parents that believe their child is perfect and can do no wrong gives incentive to their child to misbehave since they know that no penalty will result.”

Your thoughts? Email rrollins@coxohio.com.

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