Is Corporal Punishment Good for Schoolchildren?
“I will hit you.”
Merriam-Webster defines corporal punishment as a “punishment that involves hitting someone”. This includes spanking, slapping, and hitting a person with the use of any other means, like with a hand or a belt, and any other infliction of physical pain.
A long time ago, corporal punishment was used by schools to discipline children. However, several people were against it. In the United States, it was only in 2015 that a bill entitled “Ending Corporal Punishment in Schools Act of 2015” was enacted to put an end to this issue.
Is corporal punishment a good way to discipline children? Little Believer’s Academy, a Daycare Center in North Carolina, believes in the negative. Here’s why:
- It lowers IQ.
In a study conducted by Murray A. Straus and Mallie J. Paschall in 1998, it was revealed that corporal punishment can lead to a decrease in a child’s IQ. One of the explanations they offered is that this kind of punishment puts too much stress on children. As a result, the energy they put into learning is instead used as being on alert for danger.
- It engenders more aggression.
Corporal punishment is intended to stop the bad behaviors of children. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics thinks otherwise. Several studies also support its position. They found that inflicting physical pain on children does not cure bad behaviors. Instead, it promotes aggression.
- It decreases verbal ability.
In a study conducted by Michael MacKenzie and his colleagues in 2014, it indicated that five-year-old children who are spanked regularly have less ability to identify sounds. They also found that these children also have difficulty speaking. This leads to poor performance in school and low social functioning.
- It builds anxiety.
You may raise up the defense: “But I show my children love after I hit them for being bad!” The sad news is that it is not going to work. In an online article published by Sarah Newman in PsychCentral, she cited a study which stated that being warm toward a child you hit can make them more anxious.
- It curtails learning.
Even before they reach one, children start to acquire different knowledge and skills. One way to go about this is through exploration. As children, they do not know what is good and bad. Hitting them every time they do something unwarranted can restrict them from learning. This is because corporal punishment instills fear. It limits them from exploring new things for fear that they would behave badly and get hit again.
- It makes them hate you.
Physically hurting them as a punishment is not the right way to make children feel your love. In fact, it lets them feel unwanted.
There are other ways you can discipline children without physically hurting them. At Little Believer’s Academy, we offer a loving and safe learning environment for children of all ages. We are a Day Care Center in Garner, NC. For inquiries, feel free to call us at 919-720-4773.