Dear Abby Letter from Elementary School Teacher about Spanking

[Mom2Brendan]

The teacher can tell which kids have been physical disciplined at home. They seem more fearful and angry . Are more likely to hit another child because children learned through mimicry.

In school or in public a child who swats another child is liable to be lecturedon bullying, sued or even arrested . Hitting someone other than your own child is called 'assault' in legal terms.

Any degree of swatting may seem to be effective because it gets the child attention in the moment but in the long run it's counterproductive.

I believe all highschools should offer mandatory child rearing classes for both genders to break this harmful cycle and to teach more effective forms of discipline

Abby responded I agree with you 100%

[laohaire]

I saw it. I'm anti-spanking but I thought it was a little over the top to say that she could tell who had been swatted at home and who hadn't. I don't think it's that clear cut. Some kids who have never had a hand laid on them in their life swat at other kids. I don't doubt that kids who have a lot of physical punishment show that in their behavior, but I still doubt that this teacher really knows that accurately

[phathui5]

I think when you've worked with lots of children and families, you can get a feel for the discipline style of the households.