A ban on smacking children in Wales: a personal testimony.

[E&MBees]

I remember one primary school head teacher regularly screaming at us until he went purple. One class member had additional educational needs, they would cower in their chair whimpering. I’ll never forget. School was horrible, full of bullies.
I did hit a lad once, on the school bus for calling me a deaf …. Broke my watch but it was worth it. He never bothered me again!

 

[Wilco]

I missed much of this as I think I'm a tad younger than one or two of you. However, another vote from the 'it's not just physical violence' camp from me, although I'm sure I've been through much less than many.

In primary school we had practice papers for SATs. There was a small group that the teacher was coaching to practice the harder level six papers at lunchtimes, unlike the rest of us who were on the level five ones in normal lesson times. I heard and asked if I could try the level six papers and was told I wouldn't be able to join the group because the papers were too hard. So I asked if I could take one to try at home just to practice, at which I was told it wasn't allowed (she'd let the others take one home IIRC). I asked why I couldn't and was told (this wording) 'because you're not clever enough'.

That stuck with me. I'm not sure how much it has affected me but I know it affected me less than it might- when the SATs results came out, none of the special group had achieved any sixes, only three people had got straight fives. Two were girls from the special group- and the other was me. Which showed me the teacher was neither nice nor correct- those in authority are not to be automatically believed. The injustice stuck with me but also shaped me into someone who, I hope, will never be like that teacher.

I think the same teacher also separately told me off for (correctly) commenting on one of the practice level five exams that the question was factually inaccurate...

All fairly mild I'm sure, but mattered to me.

 

[JamezF]

For what it's worth, I don't think I ever experienced any kind of corporal punishment at school and I certainly never smacked my own children, who don't (yet, at least appear to have turned into ogres as a result.

These days many teachers appear to be very aware of how their words and actions can harmfully affect their students and have to go through a lot of regular training relating to welfare issues (I had to do it too, just to be able to coach swimmers at a school). In my own school days though I certainly came across teachers who appeared to enjoy inflicting pain on children who had no means to complain that they had been treated unjustly, and even enjoyed being seen to enjoy it.

So I'm happy with the ban. I don't believe smacking really does anything other than to teach children that violence is a solution to problems and to promote a damaging culture of fear.

Excluding professional teachers, teaching in the wider scope of the word attracts some seriously strange individuals even disregarding those who really aren't safe to be let out. The recent news stories about the abuse suffered by swimmers at the hands of certain coaches sadly came as no surprise to me. I've been saying for years that some coaches' methods, particularly in swimming where I have more knowledge, are dangerously close to being physically and/or mentally abusive. I've personally had the immense displeasure of having to work alongside someone who appeared to take no enjoyment from the process of coaching other than as a result of forcing children to their will and punishing them for failure. I left fairly quickly as I couldn't work in an environment where such an attitude was tolerated. So did quite a few of the swimmers. It actually felt like going back to the 1970s all over again.

James

 

[blackcloud]

Funny that-again no physical punishment until Catholic secondary school.
The wooden huts had an integral glass windowed interior wall viewing the corridors so each class could see you do the walk of shame up to the office for a caning.
The 'civilian' teachers were all English but the affiliated ones were all Irish-Sister Mary being a right *****.
It was the long serving staff that were more likely to punish.
I have to say ,despite financial hardships my kids and grandchildren have had access to a far higher standard of education than we ever did

Some adults actually could benefit from a good thrashing but it says something about your style if you need to resort to threats and violence to educate kids.

 

[Murox]

Funny that-again no physical punishment until Catholic secondary school.
The wooden huts had an integral glass windowed interior wall viewing the corridors so each class could see you do the walk of shame up to the office for a caning.
The 'civilian' teachers were all English but the affiliated ones were all Irish-Sister Mary being a right *****.
It was the long serving staff that were more likely to punish.
I have to say ,despite financial hardships my kids and grandchildren have had access to a far higher standard of education than we ever did

Some adults actually could benefit from a good thrashing but it says something about your style if you need to resort to threats and violence to educate kids.

Indeed it does, it also says a lot about the type of people/society and the government of the society that has enabled assault and abuse of young citizens for decades.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I support the ban. A good beating never did anybody any good.

 

[E&MBees]

My sister is a paediatrician, the number of cases of abuse that she has witnessed is horrific. Anything that makes the lives of children better, must be a good thing.

 

[Andymon]

Is not the legislation to prevent parent/ guardians etc from smacking children? Schools have long since stopped corporal punishment.

 

[pargyle]

Is not the legislation to prevent parent/ guardians etc from smacking children? Schools have long since stopped corporal punishment.

It is but the thread has moved on into the wider world......

My worry is, however, that there is plenty of legislation to cover the physical and mental abuse of children and violence of any sort against them or adults for that matter. Abusive behaviour by parents is also legislated against ... my fear is that the blanket legislation against parents chastising their child in ANY circumstances is going to end up with potentially wrongful cases being brought forward. There have been cases in the past where children have been wrongly removed from their parents by Social Services and whilst I deplore violence against children is this Welsh legislation really necessary ? Just saying ...

 

[Andymon]

Yes’ it seems we require a new law for every individual crime. How pathetic is that.

 

[Nige.Coll]

At junior school Mr Charles the head had a big plimsole as a favourite weapon.
I received this a few times, he got very excited while delivering the punishment, he would make you stand with feet apart bent over his desk, the plimsole would hit your backside first then curl round for a nut shot. He took a run up for every strike. I mostly got this for not being able to see the board to do the work, found out later in life I had migraines, so basically I got the slipper for having a migraine lol.

Mrs Hodgekinson had an 18 inch hickory ruler. Back of the hand was her favourite area to attack but she would walk the rows of desks and wasn't afraid of a headshot. I was leaning back on my chair talking to the lad behind me and she hit me across the knuckles with it, the chair toppled back and I hit my head on the desk behind resulting in a cut to the back of my head. Treatment for this was a visit to the head for some more punishment.
It had stopped by the time I went to secondary school officially, I did witness Mr Duckworth the woodwork teacher grab a child and thrash them with a piece of 2x1 timber until they screamed silently.

Those were the days eh, wouldn't be a teacher nowadays for all the money in the world.
There are plenty of kids in our village that a slap would do the world of good.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

There are plenty of kids in our village that a slap would do the world of good

And plenty of teachers I knew, the same (in fact, one did eventually.)

 

[Nige.Coll]

And plenty of teachers I knew, the same (in fact, one did eventually.)

One local ***** is coming close, he likes to follow people on his electric scooter shouting abuse at them, he will very soon fall off his scooter.

 

[deemann1]

We had a headmaster that enjoyed to lift his students off the ground by the ears as a punishment. Old *******