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Quote by: Pooeypants  If you'd be disciplined your entire life with threat of corporal punishment, the idea of laying a hand on your superiors would be unthinkable. I would also think by that by the age of 16, you'd have been disciplined enough to not require caning, however, you do raise a good point, maybe the teachers should all be given tasers.
The problem with discipline at home is that parents these days just don't care and/or think it's the school's responsibility. Unless you can think of a way to teach these parents and force them to discipline their children, the schools must take this job into their hands. |
I very much doubt it. I've taken a battering at home on many, many occaisions and it never made me any less likely to do something that I wanted to do.
I restrained myself from doing negative things as a child because of the sense of disapointment I felt from my Dad when I buggered up, not because I was worried I was going to have my head cracked against a door again by my mum. As I got older, it was the same. I rarely missed my homework for my history teacher or my english teacher, because I respected them immensely. By the time I was 16 it was my own code of ethics that held me firm, and has since.
If I was tasered by any teacher I would have rounded up my friends, found out where they lived and started a campaign of Animal Liberation Front style antics until they teaching. True, this sounds like idle internet boasting, but that's irrespective, you know that even if I wouldn't, many others in this country would.
You can improve the discipline situation within the UK, as it will never be solved and you'd be a fool to think otherwise, through four measures.
Firstly, bring back grammar schools. There was a good slice of my schools troublemakers, including myself, who did it because they were unchallenged and bored. Those two teachers I spoke of earlier both told me on different occaisions that they nigh on didn't teach me anything during the year and they were sorry that they couldn't stretch me more. Having grammar schools back would take the top 20% out of the mass and give them the education to push them as hard as they deserve.
Secondly, give headteachers greater ability to expel students that cause trouble. Currently they have to jump through hoops to get rid of the assholes.
Thirdly, allow greater flexibility for teachers to use reasonable force. Kids know that a teacher can't lay a hand on them, which they use to great effect. For example, a teacher tells the kid to get out of the room. Kid says no. There's nothing they can do if that pupil is going to sit there, shout and be a nuisance. They have to wait till the parents get there or the pupil gets bored. This puts the pupil in the position of power. I would suggest the teacher should be allowed to drag that little arsehole across the room and throw them out. Teachers should be well within there rights to strike a child who hits them (a real hit that is, not an 11year old throwing a hissy fit).
I know that last point may seem to run against my opposition to corporal punishment, however force would only be used on the most ungovernable of children under my system, rather than as standard practice as corporal punishment has it.
Lastly, teachers should be trained in self-defence, particularly restraining techniques, and whatever will build their confidence. The central reason I remember classes breaking down in my school was because the teacher was a cowardly, snivveling little whinger. When pupils see a weak teacher, they
will make use of that. The classes that never broke down were the ones where the teacher was strong and confident. They had good voices (vocal training should be essential to convey authority) that would shut up all but the most obtuse pupil.
The first and final point I believe would be the most important for improving the UK. I would also suggest entirely privatising the education of the UK, which would very much put the responsibility on the parents, but this would be unfeasonable in the UK without a great resurgence in liberalism in the UK.