Our state is #3 in the nation for paddling

[mistymama]

http://blog.al.com/live/2009/08/alab...on_in_stu.html

This makes me so sad. And the comments are even worse. Paddling is not allowed in our area's schools - but the mindset of the majority of our state is just plain scary.

I don't know why, but this really, really upset me today. Needed to post where people will understand me.

[Amatullah0]

wow.

[goldingoddess]

I'm thoroughly disgusted after reading that.

[mistymama]

Thanks for commenting. I had a rough day yesterday and came home to read that as our local news headline - it just really got to me. That, and the fact that nearly every single comment on the story said something to the effect that we need more corporal punishment. Someone even said "beat the ADHD out of them". As a parent of a SN child, that nearly pushed me over the edge yesterday.

Thank God for MDC. Thanks for those that commented, sometimes it's nice to know I'm not totally alone here.

[jennpn]

I had to stop reading the comments. I my gs self wanted to paddles many of them.
It is amazing that we don't allow police officers to behave in that way to CRIMINALS however authority is allowed to behave that way with children, special needs at that. If you are under 18 it is called dicsipling, if you are over 18 it is called assult.

Wow. Alabama has a long way to go.
No schools in this country to my knowledge, at least in my province allow corprial punishment and haven't in some time. The children are hardly out of control and we have a very low incidence of violence among students. Imagine that...they don't witness it and in turn they don't display it. Is that really such a hard corrolation to follow?! Oh Alabama...

What is wrong with people! REALLY!!!

[sapphire_chan]

My first thought was "cool! lots of rivers" then I realized what forum this was.

[Storm Bride]

*sigh*
Why do people equate hitting with discipline? I'm not even as anti-spanking as most here, but this is...messed up. Do those people making comments have any idea how many people both hit their children and fail to discipline them in the slightest?? Ugh.

[JabbersMom]

That article and replies made me very sad. Sadly, the article and comments do not surprise me. Most people I know think discipline means spanking (whippings, etc.).

[Minarai]

Originally Posted by goldingoddess

I'm thoroughly disgusted after reading that.

Indeed. My state TOPPED the list, not very much to my surprise.:
What disgusts me the most is that they paddle, cane and otherwise beat African-American and disabled children the most. They think that they can just strike someone until the "evil" flies out of them; unfortunately, that's not the way things work in real life. Every so often, you hear stories about how a child suffers severe injury or dies when they're beaten, whether at home or school. What's worse is that the judges sympathize with the parents/caregivers and these people get away with what would constitute murder in most other civilized nations.

[pauletoy]

I am surprised Alabama is #3. I thought it would be #1. DH and I are the only people we know who do not believe in spanking. Our school system still uses paddling as a form of punishment and we have to opt out. I was actually stunned when dd came home a couple of years ago and told me of three children in her class getting hit with a wooden paddle for coloring on the floor during rest time. Why not just make them clean the floor?

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by pauletoy

I am surprised Alabama is #3. I thought it would be #1.

In terms of the percentage of enrolled students being hit, Alabama is #2. Texas took the number one spot, in terms of overall numbers, but "only" #3, in percentages.

I was actually stunned when dd came home a couple of years ago and told me of three children in her class getting hit with a wooden paddle for coloring on the floor during rest time. Why not just make them clean the floor?

Now, that would be discipline. Paddling them is punishment. So totally pointless and counter-productive that words fail me. I truly can't even comprehend the mindset of "oh, they're colouring, not resting [maybe they're not tired??] - better paddle them".

[mrs joe bubby]

I couldn't even get past the first comment to the article.

[2lilsweetfoxes]

It is appalling that schools can still paddle children for misbehavior. That definitely needs to change. Parents can "opt-out", but if they do, the child will be sent home and suspended for x number of days. Now, if the parents work and there are not any relatives nearby who are able to watch Junior, the parents must either take off time from work and give up income and possibly their job or hire a sitter--and if money is tight, they may not be able to do that. Much easier in that situation to let the kid take the licks and get it over with. So there needs to be an alternative to both paddling and send 'em home. And education: a lot of people, judging from the comments, see nothing wrong with it.

[mistymama]

Originally Posted by pauletoy

I am surprised Alabama is #3. I thought it would be #1. DH and I are the only people we know who do not believe in spanking. Our school system still uses paddling as a form of punishment and we have to opt out. I was actually stunned when dd came home a couple of years ago and told me of three children in her class getting hit with a wooden paddle for coloring on the floor during rest time. Why not just make them clean the floor?

Wow - it just blows my mind that paddling is even legal, much less that it happens! The public schools in our area do not paddle. But my MIL has been a teacher in a different part of AL for many years. She was joking around with ds and made some comment about paddling in Kindy - I flipped and told her (and him!) that he would NEVER, EVER be paddled. Heck the kid has never had a hand laid on him, he didn't even understand what a paddle was. I can't imagine paddling children for coloring on the floor - and if you are saying rest time, it must have been Kindy. So sick. Alabama has so much to learn.

[Oriole]

unbelievable... I feel like an alien reading the comments that followed the article. Although, I guess it's not surprising, if it wasn't for all these parents, Alabama wouldn't be #3, would it now...
Insane.

[Minarai]

Originally Posted by mrs joe bubby

I couldn't even get past the first comment to the article.

Yeah, those were disgusting.
I suspect there was a raid from some other site (where users from one site register accounts on another site and use them to post hateful, obscene messages or otherwise cause trouble), since no sane person I know would say things like those, especially online.