Nap Attack!

An interesting story came our way from Michael Judge. We'll change the names to "protect" the "guilty."

An unfortunate teacher from South Carolina is waiting for her trial. It seems she tossed a light, rubbery "Koosh Ball" in the direction of a sixth-grade girl who had decided that she needed to take a little nap during Mrs. Smith's class.

To summarize: The girl fell asleep; the teacher, according to her attorney, proceeded to "toss the Koosh Ball onto the desk ... and that was it." And that, no doubt, would have been it had the girl's mother not pressed charges against Mrs. Smith, who must appear in court sometime in the near future. The supposed crime? Assault and battery, which carries a sentence of up to 30 days in jail and a fine of $1,000.

And it doesn't end there. Mrs. Smith's school administrators launched their own investigation, which found her guilt of an "error in judgment" and suspended her from teaching for one day.

Snoozing students 1, Teachers 0.

All of this might be humorous if it was not symbolic of a larger problem. In a society where teen violence and school shootings are the subject of endless debates both in the newspapers and on TV, where metal detectors are standard issue in some school districts, we are charging teachers with assault if they toss a rubber ball at a desk to wake a sleeping student.

Never mind the more traditional methods of classroom discipline. Twenty-seven states have outlawed corporal punishment: the other 23 have left it to the discretion of individual school boards, which are increasingly making it punishable by dismissal.

The professional organizations are no help in these matters. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends "that corporal punishment in schools be abolished in all states by law." The Academy says that physically disciplining a child "may adversely affect a student's self-image and school achievement and that it may contribute to disruptive and violent student behavior." Other opponents of corporal punishment include the American Medical Association, the National Education Association and the American Bar Association.

So what, exactly, is corporal punishment? The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry defines it as "a discipline method in which a supervising adult deliberately inflicts pain upon a child in response to a child's unacceptable behavior and/or inappropriate language." Tossing a Koosh Ball or an eraser does not really qualify.

Here's a real-life example that might apply to the above definition: Two mischievous students at a North Carolina Middle School were spanked by school administrators after they were caught "mooning" a school bus. The parents of the two students were outraged, calling for an end to the practice of school spankings.

It is clear that there are degrees to any form of punishment. It should be left to school administrators to decide when a teacher has stepped over the line. Parents will always have recourse to take their case to the courts. But where does it end? Would it be illegal to make a student run laps around the gym for calling the gym teacher a name? How about making a student stand in the corner for fifteen minutes?

As we start gearing up for the new school year, it might be a good idea to give some thought to what's "acceptable" and what's not acceptable when it comes to punishing students.

The Advantage Press publishes material designed to improve student behavior by having them "write their wrongs." This solves the problem of trying to think of a consequence that may bring more problems to the teacher than the student. Our discipline packets help teachers and administrators from responding emotionally to a student's indiscretion.