Ref: http://www.9news.com.au/national/2014/07/16/06/19/corporal-punishment-can-be-effective

Quote from Nine News

The head of the Abbott government’s curriculum review has labelled corporal punishment as "very effective" in a discussion on school discipline.

Dr Kevin Donnelly said he’s in favour of corporal punishment for ill-disciplined Australian children such as use of the cane, if supported by the local school community.

Quote from Nine News

“There are one or two schools around Australia that I know where it actually is approved of and they do do it,” Dr Donnelly said.

He said putting children in “time-out zones” doesn’t work.

His comments follow the release of a report on a record number of students being suspended from NSW schools.

Dr Donnelly said suspension only allows students to avoid work and should be used as a last resort.

“They (students) loved it (time out) because they could get out of classwork … they could just relax and meditate for a while. That obviously didn’t work,” he said.

He said in his experience, corporal punishment was the most effective form of punishment.

“I think it’s very important that the classroom doesn’t suffer because of disruptive or badly behaved students,” Dr Donnelly said.

While I agree with the last statement, and the statement about suspensions... I am not sure how well corporal punishment would actually work. For one it opens up huge debates on how hard and when it's too hard or right or wrong to punish.

I think maybe they should just flat out move the disruptive kids to their own classes or they should expel them. Maybe when the kids have no school to go to the parents will step it up and the kids will realise what's at stake?

When it comes to things like this, I sort of have this idea that the biggest "problem" if we want to call it that, is that...nobody really knows what sort of people each individual student is like, and the individual students might know or might not know but very rarely can articulate it.

Some people do great with corporal punishment. I think those are the ones who just sort of shrug off, "Hey, I got spanked as a kid and it sure taught me not to make stupid mistakes again", while there are others who are totally traumatized, and others still who would take it proudly and keep on with anti-social activity that could now be inspired by the violence done to them because they took no meaning from a caning but that violence is okay.

Why are suspensions seen more as, "Yay, vacation!" Rather than, "Nooo, my precious reputation!"? Or even, "Glad that bothersome one is out of this otherwise perfect environment for learning"? How did students form this idea that schoolwork, or any work, was a bad thing? That a suspension isn't necessarily stigmatized? That punitive retribution is a goal?

I would say that deeper investigations need to be done into this sort of culture, and corporal punishment is a stop-gap measure.

I agree with bunny that they should have their own classroom. Where I used to live, they had their own school and everyone was terrified of ending up there. Maybe they could even do that.

bsthebenster (12:21am Thu, Jul 17, 2014)

I agree with bunny that they should have their own classroom. Where I used to live, they had their own school and everyone was terrified of ending up there. Maybe they could even do that.

Yeah I learned of that when I was in the states...but to be honest it was secretly seen as a cool place....but really unsafe. Also you had to be really bad to go there. Personally I'd like to see the constantly disruptive kids go there as well. They are just as detrimental if not moreso.

EllyMarks (12:20pm Wed, Jul 16, 2014)

Why are suspensions seen more as, "Yay, vacation!" Rather than, "Nooo, my precious reputation!"? Or even, "Glad that bothersome one is out of this otherwise perfect environment for learning"? How did students form this idea that schoolwork, or any work, was a bad thing? That a suspension isn't necessarily stigmatized? That punitive retribution is a goal?

I would say that deeper investigations need to be done into this sort of culture, and corporal punishment is a stop-gap measure.

Now this is an interesting concept. I reckon it's because kids who stand up are considered cool kids. Even our parents have movies, books, etc, where a not so studious kid speaks out and is a hero. I think it just escalated?

I can confirm this culture is also in private schools, except that suspensions and expulsions are considered more than "ultra cool"....especially if the school cannot actually suspend or expel you. A couple of girls got away with everything because their dads were powerful board members.