Beating Children Is Still Legal In Twenty U.S. States
In 20 states of the United States, it is still legal for teachers to paddle their students. That is a shocking statistic. Even when in prison, criminals are protected by law from being physically abused by those in a position of authority over them. But for our children, no such protection is available.
We are one of the few countries to allow such treatment. 102 countries, including Canada, Australia, the countries of Western Europe and the U.K., have outlawed corporal punishment in schools. Within the United States, plenty of organizations oppose corporal punishment, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Consider a couple of examples: a high school coach in Georgia knocked a student's eyeball out of its socket to punish the student for fighting with another student. In Texas, a 14-year-old autistic special education student was smothered to death by his teacher's "restraint." The kid was placed face down on the floor and when he struggled, his teacher sat on his shoulders to keep him still. He sufficated to death.
Because of these and many other instances of child abuse at the hands of teachers, Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D - NY) will introduce a bill in the House this week to deny federal funding to schools that use corporal punishment. For the first time in over 18 years, Congress held hearings in April, 2010, on the use of corporal punishment in schools, and this bill was the result of those hearings.
Here's what was revealed: every twenty seconds of the school day, a child is beaten by an educator. Every four minutes, an educator beats a child so badly that she seeks medical attention. The U.S. Department of Education reported that in the 2006 - 07 school year, 223,190 students were the victims of such school violence, and over 20,000 of these young people had to seek medical attention.
These are outrageous statistics, and we applaud Rep. McCarthy for introducing her bill. It is time for the United States to join the rest of the developed world and implement a federal ban on corporal punishment. Corporal punishment is wrong. The American Psychological Association says corporal punishment may do far more than inflict physical pain; it may also lower self-esteem, instill hostility and teach children that physical violence is an acceptable problem-solving tool. And it doesn't work.
Isn't it time that we outlawed this barbaric practice in the United States?
Judy Molland
Friday, June 11, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
DEATH AT SIXTEEN.
Sixteen-year-old Christian Taylor was found hanged in his bedroom on Monday, May 31: Memorial Day, a school holiday, which for most kids means the start of summer.
Taylor was a freshman at Grafton High School in Yorktown, VA. What's especially tragic about this suicide is that the teenager had complained to school and law enforcement officials about being bullied, but nothing was done to stop his tormentor. According to York-Poquosen Sheriff Sgt. Dennis Ivey, authorities had also looked into complaints by Taylor's mother, Alise Williams, weeks ago, but turned the matter over to his school after finding no crime had been committed. No action was taken, and Taylor's tormentor remained at school.
Because of Taylor's death, Ivey said, authorities are now re-examining the case to see if any laws were broken.
How many lost teenage lives are we going to have to witness before school authorities take this issue seriously? In Massachusetts, less than six months ago, 15-year-old Phoebe Prince hanged herself after being assaulted and bullied by classmates. Currently six teenagers face charges in that case.
And now here's another one. Teenagers can be both mean and cruel, as well as scared and extremely vulnerable. Above all, they need guidance from adults, even when (maybe especially when) they act as if they hate all authority. Every school has a legal responsibility to deal with bullying that occurs on school property and, in many cases, between school and home.
What happened in Taylor's case? According to his mom, "Chris was a good kid…. He had the usual teenage problems, the awkwardness and all, but he had a girlfriend and friends and they're devastated." She described her son's bullying as "just a lot of taunting and saying mean stuff" but added that in one instance, his tormentor, a classmate, told her son to "go ahead and commit suicide and get it over with."
Meanwhile, the bully "is still in school," said Williams. "They have not suspended him. He has not been expelled. And he doesn't just target my son, he's targeted quite a few others."
As someone who has been teaching teenagers for over twenty years, I know that someone, if not several people, at that high school had to know what was going on, but chose not to see. It's easy to do, since teachers are all so overworked and pressured these days. But that's no excuse. Teenagers can be a tough bunch, but it's also pretty easy to read them.
Bullying is a serious social problem. According to the National School Safety Center, one in seven children becomes a victim of bullying at school. Wake up, schools! Getting good test scores is nice; saving lives is crucial.
Taylor was a freshman at Grafton High School in Yorktown, VA. What's especially tragic about this suicide is that the teenager had complained to school and law enforcement officials about being bullied, but nothing was done to stop his tormentor. According to York-Poquosen Sheriff Sgt. Dennis Ivey, authorities had also looked into complaints by Taylor's mother, Alise Williams, weeks ago, but turned the matter over to his school after finding no crime had been committed. No action was taken, and Taylor's tormentor remained at school.
Because of Taylor's death, Ivey said, authorities are now re-examining the case to see if any laws were broken.
How many lost teenage lives are we going to have to witness before school authorities take this issue seriously? In Massachusetts, less than six months ago, 15-year-old Phoebe Prince hanged herself after being assaulted and bullied by classmates. Currently six teenagers face charges in that case.
And now here's another one. Teenagers can be both mean and cruel, as well as scared and extremely vulnerable. Above all, they need guidance from adults, even when (maybe especially when) they act as if they hate all authority. Every school has a legal responsibility to deal with bullying that occurs on school property and, in many cases, between school and home.
What happened in Taylor's case? According to his mom, "Chris was a good kid…. He had the usual teenage problems, the awkwardness and all, but he had a girlfriend and friends and they're devastated." She described her son's bullying as "just a lot of taunting and saying mean stuff" but added that in one instance, his tormentor, a classmate, told her son to "go ahead and commit suicide and get it over with."
Meanwhile, the bully "is still in school," said Williams. "They have not suspended him. He has not been expelled. And he doesn't just target my son, he's targeted quite a few others."
As someone who has been teaching teenagers for over twenty years, I know that someone, if not several people, at that high school had to know what was going on, but chose not to see. It's easy to do, since teachers are all so overworked and pressured these days. But that's no excuse. Teenagers can be a tough bunch, but it's also pretty easy to read them.
Bullying is a serious social problem. According to the National School Safety Center, one in seven children becomes a victim of bullying at school. Wake up, schools! Getting good test scores is nice; saving lives is crucial.
THOUGHTS FROM A CANADIAN NEIGHBOR
MY FRIDAY STORY
EXCESS AND EXCUSES
By Miles Patrick Yohnke © 2010
It hurts me to write this story. But I must write it. I live in Canada, which is seen as a rich country. The country to the south of us, the United States, also falls into this category. As a writer I've been blessed that my work has touched so many lives in so many corners of the world.
I receive many letters. An enormous amount of them come from places where it isn't as good as we have it here. Yet these letters are filled with hope and optimism. Terror and fear are daily occurrences in countries like Africa, India and Papua New Guinea [PNG] just to name a few. Yet when I read the letters from people living in these and many more places, their passion is overwhelming. You also have a great respect for their rich, individual heritages.
You look at Papua New Guinea and discover it has over 800 languages. Each province has more than 20 different languages. Not all of them have the same dialect. The only language that they all can speak and understand is called "Pidgin English." 800 languages means that they also have this number of different customs and traditions. All just loaded with culture and character.
North America is the richest of nations, yet, for the most part, our culture is one of excess and excuses.
Excess: We eat too much. We drink too much. We spend far too much.
Excuses: We point fingers. We blame others. We dwell in dysfunction.
We are rich with excess and excuses. For so many we have a hard time speaking one language. We have bigger houses and bigger broken homes. Divorce is the norm. We have multiplied our possessions but reduced our values. We've learned how to make a living but not a life. It's time that we stop our spoiled, self-centered ways.
Time we look in the mirror at our fat selves. Weak with character, high with cholesterol. Time we wake up. Time we learn that life isn't about 'things'. Time that we use our rich resources for positive change. Time we give back. Help others. Time our lives are filled with purpose. In that we will have a real reason to live.
EXCESS AND EXCUSES
By Miles Patrick Yohnke © 2010
It hurts me to write this story. But I must write it. I live in Canada, which is seen as a rich country. The country to the south of us, the United States, also falls into this category. As a writer I've been blessed that my work has touched so many lives in so many corners of the world.
I receive many letters. An enormous amount of them come from places where it isn't as good as we have it here. Yet these letters are filled with hope and optimism. Terror and fear are daily occurrences in countries like Africa, India and Papua New Guinea [PNG] just to name a few. Yet when I read the letters from people living in these and many more places, their passion is overwhelming. You also have a great respect for their rich, individual heritages.
You look at Papua New Guinea and discover it has over 800 languages. Each province has more than 20 different languages. Not all of them have the same dialect. The only language that they all can speak and understand is called "Pidgin English." 800 languages means that they also have this number of different customs and traditions. All just loaded with culture and character.
North America is the richest of nations, yet, for the most part, our culture is one of excess and excuses.
Excess: We eat too much. We drink too much. We spend far too much.
Excuses: We point fingers. We blame others. We dwell in dysfunction.
We are rich with excess and excuses. For so many we have a hard time speaking one language. We have bigger houses and bigger broken homes. Divorce is the norm. We have multiplied our possessions but reduced our values. We've learned how to make a living but not a life. It's time that we stop our spoiled, self-centered ways.
Time we look in the mirror at our fat selves. Weak with character, high with cholesterol. Time we wake up. Time we learn that life isn't about 'things'. Time that we use our rich resources for positive change. Time we give back. Help others. Time our lives are filled with purpose. In that we will have a real reason to live.
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