Punishment is a controversial topic in any land because there is either too much or not enough: Kim HyeJin of Globalvoicesonline writes of corporal punishment in Korean schools and how public sentiment is turning against the abusive bent that punishment has often taken therein.
The JoongAng Ilbo duly notes that famed Abe Lincoln impersonator Roh Moo-hyun is likely to be visited by the prosecutors office or maybe, he will visit them.
Likewise, in the US, principles of justice and ethics are nice things to have — even if one rarely uses them (government-sponsored torture and the unwillingness to prosecute widely acknowledged abuses of international law).
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
As a High School teacher, I find it difficult not to use corporeal punishment, since there is not an effective system in place to deal with unruly students. Usually, I just kick them out of my room and report their behavior to another teacher, who may or may not choose to do something about it. I do not hit my students… I tell them to accept my “stand up with hands up” punishment quietly or I will remove them and they can deal with the discipline office later.
My students have asked me about discipline in Canada to compare notes… of course, Canadian students also get removed from class, suspended, expelled… they were shocked when I told them that smoking in the the bathroom would result in police action, since it is considered a criminal offense in Canada to smoke on government property.
I DO believe in corporeal punishment, as it does work in some cases. But the problem often lies with the person applying it. There’s the rub…
Corporeal punishment?
You know what they say about sexually repressed societies…
It’s no surprise they are into that sort of thing.
I’m a big fan.
Yeah, right guys. I’m sure you would make glib comments right up to the time your children were getting their share of smacks, in school. Then, I would bet, your comments would be a little different.
Corporal punishment is forbidden in many European countries.
It is an criminal act I never would get the idea to do in Korea where I am teaching.
Back in Germany you might lose your job.
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