Introduction
All over the world, schooling institutions often still have their pupils punished through corporal punishment, which is a method of hitting or hurting misbehaving children—a rocky past. The worldwide prevalent destination for physical punishment to keep the chaos in order has been revisited with the development of psychological, ethical, and legal issues. Although public tobacco smoking is less popular nowadays, it is still allowed in some places, calling into question the well-being of children and youths. “According to the article, the school discipline’s obsolete approach hurts children’s mental and physical health. This article delineates the shortcomings of physical and psychological punishment methods to change behavior, the ethical and legal problems surrounding its usage in schools, and the need for a statewide ban (Heekes et al. 60). This limitation must be honored, as it constitutes a critical element that ensures students’ right to a safe and supportive environment while promoting restorative justice and positive reinforcement-based disciplinary processes.
The application of corporal punishment in schools is a heartless and lawless process that leads to a compromise of both the physical and psychological lives of students. Hence, corporal use by the government would be policies that should be made a priority.
The Ineffectiveness of Corporal Punishment
The practice of corporal punishment as a means of administering school discipline has been around for a long time. It is an assortment of diverse physical measurements mainly used to punish and chastise children for bad behavior. Let us remember that spanking, paddling, and striking children with belts or rulers present some of the vulgar acts in this classification. Students being prolonged to bend over a chair or desk rarely happens. However, they might be forced into this procedure occasionally. Physical punishment has primarily been employed if history is anything to go by. A growing body of research indicates that this kind of punishment may be ineffective and detrimental to individuals. For example (Fleckman et al. 153) did a study where they analyzed information from different sources, and they came up with the idea that children who are subjected to physical punishment become more violent, do anti-social acts, and are bad at studies as well. The researchers’ findings caused these results.
On the other hand, longitudinal studies have shown that corporal punishment does not give any benefit in the long run, either in terms of unruly behavior modification or academic performance enhancement. In light of these findings, teachers and decision-makers use different disciplinary methods, including emphasizing restorative justice and positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement strategies that highly reward such behaviors, such as praise, presents, or other incentives, may encourage the students to be more involved in such behaviors to build up momentum. This means being ready to do things to help them gain suitable preventive measures. Therefore, Restorative justice methods strive to recuperate the losses arising from wrong actions by engaging in dialogue, negotiation, and communal Building. These tactics aim to tackle the problem, teach kids to take responsibility for their actions and show empathy towards others. To create a learning environment for students with pleasant surroundings and support, educational institutions can then use these alternatives to physical punishment to better learners’ social-emotional development and academic achievements. With these strategies, educators focus on children’s general well-being and ensure obedience and respect from one another in their classroom.
The Physical and Mental Health Impacts
School corporal punishment is quite dangerous for the physical and mental health of the children and also causes some doubts about the effectiveness of this method of discipline. We always have to be aware of the destruction of one body that can be caused by physical punishment! However, when physical punishment is carried out to discipline the student, it could also cause more severe injury, up to the death of pupils, as intended. The victims of physical punishment may get lesions, bruising, and grave injuries like bleeding inside and broken bones along with other injuries, as mentioned in a few studies. Also, when teachers have corporaphobia, they might end up harming the students accidentally, thus demonstrating a lack of discretion or good judgment. Physical punishment that will produce fear, suppression, and guilt in a child can further worsen the adverse effect. Kids who have experienced physical punishments have a higher risk of having severe mental health concerns. Numerous researches have revealed physical abuse in children with corresponding adverse effects such as elevated aggressiveness, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Physical punishment by authoritative people is the key to the door of rage, rejection, and injustice. Therefore, a person can express extreme feelings of aggression, which can result in direct violence towards other peers and even teachers. In addition to this, the fear and anxiety produced from the idea of beating may bring in a stressful and hostile school climate, thus limiting the emotional and cognitive development of students.
The devastating ramifications of corporal punishment on children’s self-beliefs, leading to declining achievements in school and the fading away of their physical health, cause their lives to worsen. Scientific studies and past studies have unquestionably highlighted repeated physical punishment among many adverse consequences to one’s mental health. For example, research by Quail et al. (630) showed that mentally abused children were more prone to develop PTSD, depression, and anxiety disorders throughout their lives. The researchers have also shown that people who were physically punished as children may be more likely to demonstrate and commit violence and delinquency during their adolescence and adulthood. We should take into account the factor of physical punishments in schools to preserve the wellness of children because research shows that the practice can lead to long-term mental health issues. Bottom line: the intrusion of physical punishments in the classroom has tragic consequences on children’s psychological and physical condition. Because alternatives to corporal punishment that guarantee the mental health of kids and create a warm learning environment might be developed by educators and lawmakers, it is possible to create classrooms that are safer and more positive for all kids.
Legal and Ethical Considerations
The divergence of government views on whether prohibition is allowed leads us to examine the moral and legal issues of using physical punishment in schools. Nowadays, the physical penalty still exists in some countries, even though the level of jurisdiction differs between jurisdictions. This disparity creates suspicion that the country cannot honor students’ rights uniformly and create a safe environment in every learning institution. Additionally, human rights such as bodily integrity and respect are among the many rights that are continually accepted to be incurred when corporal punishment is used at schools. The implementation of the worthlessness of teachers beating the kids in the education culture helps a lot to spread aggression in schools. It impacts a student’s self-awareness and values, such as independence and self-worth. This issue raises some concerns because physical punishment embraces such fundamental ethical problems as the ultimate purpose of schools and the rules that govern society.
The lawmakers who support physical punishment banners indicate that protecting children’s rights and well-being is paramount and making the class processes according to the modern standards of human integrity and nonviolence (Besley et al. 186). Educators can create an inclusive environment such that the rights to a safe and positive learning experience of the students are protected while also promoting a culture of respect and dignity in educational institutions by disallowing physical punishment in classrooms and instead injecting alternative disciplinary strategies based on restorative justice and positive reinforcement. In summary, the only cure for the moral and legal dilemmas produced by physical punishments is to make demands for the legislative system to be reformed to support the rights and welfare of children. Institution of state rules and regulations prohibiting physical punishment could be an essential step toward creating an environment of security, equality, and respect for all.
Conclusion
Lastly, the consideration of physical punishment in schools again argues that there is a need for a rapid and substantial change in the misbehavior system. This article has meticulously investigated a long list of harmful effects of physical punishment, justifying that it does not work and, at the same time, puts children at risk of mental and physical harm. The investigation of the mental and physical health problems linked with physical punishment, as well as the legal and ethical issues that come with this form of punishment, has already produced enough data to immediately implement this prohibition of physical punishment in schools all over the country. It also aligns with the growing trend towards student rights in an environment free of violence. It supports the idea that nonviolence is favorable and human personality should be respected.
Moreover, policymakers must emphasize students’ interests instead of providing punishment strategies through restorative justice and reward systems. Investments in these innovative practices will likely be helpful to policymakers as they develop less hostile and more interactive and respectful learning environments where empathy, responsibility, and respect are equally appreciated. Thus, it is essential to bring politicians into the picture and request them to speed up the action, ensuring that all kids can study and thrive in safe, nonviolent schools. It provides the subsequent generations with the hope of living in a humane, fair, and prosperous world.
Work Cited
Besley, Tina. “Theorizing teacher responsibility in an age of neoliberal accountability.” Beijing International Review of Education 1.1 2019: 179–195.
Fleckman, Julia M., et al. “Educating parents about corporal punishment and effective discipline: Pediatricians’ preparedness, motivation, and barriers.” Academic pediatrics 21.1 2021: 149–157.
Heekes, Sasha-Lee, et al. “A systematic review of corporal punishment in schools: Global prevalence and correlates.” Trauma, Violence, & Abuse 23.1 2022: 52–72.
Quail, Karen R., and Catherine L. Ward. “Nonviolent discipline options for caregivers and teachers: a systematic overview of the evidence.” Trauma, Violence, & Abuse 23.2 2022: 620–638.
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