Our Kids Deserve It
John Herner was president of the The National Association of State Directors of Special Education , and this quote has been shared and reshared online for several years. I was reminded of this statement when I recently met a college freshman who grew up in one of 19 states where corporal punishment in schools is still legal. She said that in her high school kids could choose two "swats" from a principal as punishment for being late to school or instead of serving detention, and she herself had been on the receiving end of such swats because it was the quickest way to be done with the punishment.When I asked her if her behaviors changed because of the swats, she almost laughed and replied, "No." There are many opinions about spanking either at home or at school. I am a strong advocate of not spanking, and fortunately for me corporal punishment in schools is not legal where I am principal. The research about spanking is fairly conclusive. An ...