Corporal punishment in Texas schools?! (Or, we might be moving to Austin and I am freaking out). - Page 2

[jshannyn519]

Originally Posted by freestylemama 

Thank you!  This is really, really helpful.  I've done a lot of research and am realizing that Austin isn't what we thought it was. Our current city is actually more Democratic (in voting trends) than Austin.  Our current neighborhood is known for being gay friendly and is very racially diverse.  Like I said, we like where we are, but the job will win.  We want to make the transition as painless as possible and find an area as much like our current one as possible.  

That's because Austin is in Texas. We moved to TX from Oregon 4 years ago and there are some things that I just don't expect to see in Texas. Democratic and gay-friendly are two of those things. Racially diverse really depends on the area. It seems like people clump together in parts of any city. Here in DFW we have a section of one town that has a bunch of Pacific Islanders that all live within about 3 square miles of each other. The same is true of many other races and ethnicities.

[PoppyMama]

Krista really hit the nail on the head and I don't think she was trying to be at all rude. I wouldn't call austin liberal I would describe it more as welcoming of eccentricity and more libertarian than socialist type liberal and more gay friendly than racially diverse. I call shenanigans on the numbers given in that artical but spanking definitely is legal in many school districts even if it is rarely practiced anymore. Its done in the office not the classroom though- i grew up in houston and it was even pretty rare there. The incoming hordes have really cost us "old austin" but you still see a lot of holdouts and since you aren't from ca people will not tend.to be as cranky about your arrival (jk....sorta) people tend to be pretty friendly here. My favorite living area is 78704 and that I would bike with kids but the 3 child priced us out of renting in that area so now im in cherrycreek and it would probably meet your needs. I can walk to the library and a coffee shop and I could bike to the store and the farmers market. I don't bike with the trailer here but I could if I stayed in the neighborhood or where there is a sidewalk. The y is 10-15 min drive with no traffic but I could take one bus to the downtown y. If you're sensitive about heat you may be a prisoner in your own home without a car. We do a lot of free outdoor hiking/water stuff that austin is awesome for but its really rain dependant and the greenbelt is sadly dry right now. If you move here try to drive off peak, be laid back and not overly horrified by the texasness, love dogs, don't complain about the noise levels of live music and practice saying y'all and drinking ice tea. ...and please never say that austin has wonderful mexican food.

[freestylemama]

Thanks for the tips. We are moving there and are looking mostly in the 78704.  I have a friend whose DH was stationed at Fort Hood (she's a Northern liberal too) and she told me that the Mexican food was out of this world lol!  We're looking for a second car because it seems like everything is more spread out than we're used to. 

I think we're also accepting that Austin is in Texas and it is what it is and we'll just have to adapt or find a little bubble.

Thanks for all of your comments and advice.  It's been very helpful.

[lolar2]

We live in Houston and are PERFECTLY comfortable as liberals, I know plenty of happy gay couples here, etc. It isn't the "default" here to be a Democrat the way it is in the NE, but in urban areas it isn't weird or shocking to be liberal either. And I have lived in New England small towns and don't find Texas towns to be any more (or less) provincial.

Also in Houston the school district forbids corporal punishment.

[mom2alicia]

Hi! I haven't read all the replies so I'm just replying to your original comment. I had a similar reaction when we moved to the region from CA. We moved to Oklahoma, then Texas. When I first encountered this same issue, I asked other moms about it in the local AP group and the reaction was "don't worry, even if it is legal, they need your permission, they aren't just going to spank your child". But, to me that just isn't satisfactory! I didn't, and don't, want my child in an environment where that is an acceptable option for solving problems. I wonder about the attitudes and skills of the teachers and administrators in such a system. It shows a belief in the effectiveness of punishment. We decided to go the private Montessori school route and it has been such a wonderful environment for our children, even though it means we have less disposable income and scaled down on the house we could buy. I know there are some areas where there are public montessori options and I wish it were more widespread and readily available in the public school system.

[KaliShanti]

I actually lived in a small East Texas town town right next to a school district where, in the late 90s anyway, they did use corporeal punishment in the public school. My sister's boyfriend was paddled at age 16. It was kinda funny, though ;) Guess his folks gave them permission.  I wonder if they still do it.

[freestylemama]

I really can't imagine a single situation where a person getting hit with a wooden object would be funny. 

[JoEngland]

Originally Posted by freestylemama 

I really can't imagine a single situation where a person getting hit with a wooden object would be funny. 

My mother, my brother, and I were all sitting around the kitchen table one night, having a few beers and chatting. My brother was amazed at how well all five of us siblings turned out: All independent, in loving marriages, property-owning, tax-paying, hard-working native Texans. 

My mother said, "Well, we tried our best, even when we had to use the belt."

My brother replied, to whit, "Mom, please — I let you spank me until I was 18. It wasn't like it hurt."

Now, I'm not condoning corporal punishment, and my husband and I are too bleeding-heart liberal to use it with our child, but taking yourself and your beliefs too seriously is like cutting off your nose to spite your face. 

[KaliShanti]

Thank you! HE thought it was funny.
 

Originally Posted by JoEngland 

My mother, my brother, and I were all sitting around the kitchen table one night, having a few beers and chatting. My brother was amazed at how well all five of us siblings turned out: All independent, in loving marriages, property-owning, tax-paying, hard-working native Texans. 

My mother said, "Well, we tried our best, even when we had to use the belt."

My brother replied, to whit, "Mom, please — I let you spank me until I was 18. It wasn't like it hurt."

Now, I'm not condoning corporal punishment, and my husband and I are too bleeding-heart liberal to use it with our child, but taking yourself and your beliefs too seriously is like cutting off your nose to spite your face. 

[theRN]

I hate to sound rude, but welcome to the South. I went to high school in the Austin area and at that time we did not have 'corporal punishment'. When I transferred H.S. to one out in a small town they did have spanking. But, and a big but, the parents have to sign permission to let the school spank their child. Other then that the kid will get I.S.S (in school suspension), a bad referral, or their card pulled (in the elementary schools they have green, yellow, sometimes blue, and a red card system. Green means good, yellow means they acted up a little (maybe talking during class), blue is a second chance to correct the behavior, and red means you sit in a different part of the class and get a note sent home. 

[freestylemama]

Clearly, there's a huge cultural divide. 

[JoEngland]

Originally Posted by freestylemama 

Clearly, there's a huge cultural divide. 

I don't know about that. There are lots of parent advocate groups in Dallas and Austin that are against spanking. The truth is, corporal punishment is rarely used, if at all, anywhere. As a journalist, I often find that when there is an incident of corporal punishment in schools, it quickly becomes a news story. Districts in Texas have been conditioned to avoid those types of situations.

What you really need to worry about is the resources available to libraries and teachers inside public schools. Our governor (who is also testing the presidential waters), Rick Perry, is gutting our education funding system. School districts are cutting librarians and resource teachers budgets in half, if not more. I find that more troubling than any perceived trepidation over corporal punishment.

[kristandthekids]

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Edited by kristandthekids - 1/16/13 at 4:52pm

[smeep]

Didn't read it all, but I'll say this. Texas is a lot more...well, it's quite the "mutt" state, if you will. Sure, we have your stereotypical spanking drawling southerners but there are people from all different cultures and backgrounds. I was born and raised and still live in Dallas. I grew up thinking homebirth and breastfeeding were the cultural norm until I was old enough to realize it wasn't. 

The nice thing about Austin is, like Dallas, you can easily find people who share your beliefs and just stick with them. And then you end up finding people who definitely do not parent the same but you get along great because there is such a variety of culture, more people have learned tolerance.

At any rate, it's extremely rare for a school to use corporal punishment. If I remember correctly the last time I heard about it happening there was a huge deal made of it and I believe said teacher got sacked? Meh, it's been a while so I've forgotten. 

Anyway, Texas is great, especially Austin. 

[freestylemama]

Thanks!  We've actually met many wonderful parents in our neighborhood- most of them are liberal transplants as well.  We have a terrific midwife set up, really like our house and are liking it overall.   We'll be fine- there are some differences, but we've been really impressed with how friendly and ambitious the people we've met here are.

[JoEngland]

Originally Posted by freestylemama 

Thanks!  We've actually met many wonderful parents in our neighborhood- most of them are liberal transplants as well.  We have a terrific midwife set up, really like our house and are liking it overall.   We'll be fine- there are some differences, but we've been really impressed with how friendly and ambitious the people we've met here are.

I'm glad you're pleasantly surprised by our fair state. Hopefully you'll take the family out to some of our wonderful state parks soon! Great hiking, fishing, and swimming to be had!

[PoppyMama]

Haha. Oh...where is the water? The outdoorsey stuff is what makes the allergies around here tolerable and I have felt very sad this year.

Birthwise has a meetup (I will admit sometimes its just me and April) that is getting together at the little stacy paddling pool some tuesdays at noon. There is a big oak that covers most of the pool which is a blessing for my pasty white skin. Let me know if you'd like to know when we will be there.

[JoEngland]

Originally Posted by PoppyMama 

Haha. Oh...where is the water? The outdoorsey stuff is what makes the allergies around here tolerable and I have felt very sad this year.

Birthwise has a meetup (I will admit sometimes its just me and April) that is getting together at the little stacy paddling pool some tuesdays at noon. There is a big oak that covers most of the pool which is a blessing for my pasty white skin. Let me know if you'd like to know when we will be there.

Seriously. Is it ever going to rain again in Central Texas? I'm in Dallas and a lot of my friends who bass fish can't even launch their boats from slips in Lake Texoma because the water is too low! Perhaps a trip to Balmorrhea is in order?

[monkeyscience]

This is sort of old, but I'd like to know where the 49,000 kids paddled comes from. I don't believe it for one second. Yes, corporal punishment is still legal in Texas, but almost every district I've heard of has banned it, for PR reasons if nothing else. So I'd really like to know where that number comes from... OP, do you have a link for that?

[freestylemama]

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/27195369.html

Nationwide, 223,190 students received corporal punishment during the 2006-2007 school year, and 49,197 of them were in Texas, according to a study released Wednesday by the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch.

Texas leads the U.S. in the use of corporal punishment, followed by Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Florida and Missouri, the study says.