What a coincidence that this topic is chosen for the LBC when it is a hot topic of discussion over here. On last Sunday, newspapers reported that teachers are likely to get up to three years in prison for giving corporal punishment to students. Discipline, very much part of our education, sans punishment and reward will remain a chimera if teachers are prevented from disciplining children.
My reaction to the proposed bill as far as punishments are concerned is total disbelief. Now, the buck will effectively be passed back to the parents of the children and with modern life styles, what kind of disciplining the parents will impart to their children is a moot point. Further, the proposed bill also prevents schools from preventing students from appearing in examinations as punishment for whatever misdemeanor and this too is a disaster waiting to happen.
I reproduce what I wrote in one of my earlier posts on Corporal Punishment:
“I personally believe that excess parenting and molly coddling of children are making them into what Bikehikebabe so effectively calls namby pambies. Are we producing wimps? Or have we already produced wimps who in turn are producing wimps?”
Lest I be misunderstood, there have been cases where the punishment has been brutal and I am totally against such brutality. But to ban all punishment to prevent such abuse is absurd and not well thought out. I doubt very much that anyone would object to disciplining being part of the education/growing up process, but to ban all punishment in schools is like using a road roller to crush a cockroach.
I am glad that I do not have grand children. If the system is getting geared to producing wimps, I want to have nothing to with the future outcomes. Disciplining/punishing children was and should be part of all childrens’ growing up process and to tamper with that system is dangerous. I may be opinionated in this, but I do not think that I would be what I am today had it not been for the parenting and teaching system of my youth which emphasised on discipline and punishment.
I hope you enjoyed reading this post on the weekly Friday Loose Bloggers Consortium where thirteen of us write on the same topic. Today’s topic has been chosen by Deliious. The twelve other bloggers who write regularly are, in alphabetical order, Anu, Delirious, gaelikaa, Grannymar, Maxi, Maria SF, ocdwriter, Padmum, Paul, Rohit, Shackman, The Old Fossil and Will. Do drop in on their blogs and see what their take is on this week’s topic. Since some of them may post late, do give some allowance for that too!