Quote Originally Posted by Thorne View Post
But there is a difference between corporal punishment and abuse. Beating a child until they require medical treatment (or a funeral) is abuse, pure and simple. Striking anyone, much less a child, in the head is dangerous and educators who do that should be prosecuted.

Being the father of two boys, who seemed to get through their school years with less problems than I had, I feel that eliminating all corporal punishment is a mistake. It should never be done in anger, and should probably be administered by someone other than the teacher.
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No, never in anger, which is not punishment, but violence - hence the damages. I too think others should be doing it, if it should be done.

Mind you, I do think teachers should get a lot more support that they get - I would not hold their job for all the tea in China.
There was a case her in UK with a teacher who struck a student with an exercise weight which gave the student a concussion. It turned out that a group of students had been goading him for weeks to make him loose his temper, so they could film it and show it to the girls. He got a conviction, I think a light one, but I never heard what happened to the students, which should definitly also be accused.