We already know that all politics are local. I picked up some info on another site and then started doing a little checking. I don't necessarily think this is an Obama problem but a legislative and Health and Human Services problem. The message from the blog and the video was basically blaming President Obama for allowing this type of punishment to continue. I don't agree with that....I do also know that kids can get rowdy but instilling fear beginning with kindegarten is unacceptable. Well, I
decided to do a little checking in my own backyard. I called my 5 year old into the living room and asked her had she ever been threatned a paddling. Her response, "I never get on red". The eye exchange between my husband and me was sheer anger and a little fright. I asked, "What does get on red mean"? She explained. If your conduct stick gets moved to red then you have to go get a paddling from the principal. My husband's face got a little redder. I said, "Have you ever seen the paddle".
She again said "Oh I never get on red". Hmmmm. Well, has anyone in your kindergarten class got on red and got a paddling and the answer was "Yes, two have." They got a paddling. OK......I knew this was not going to go well at this household. We have learned that this is not acceptable and does not work. Mind you, I know my husband got his share of paddlings and in our day this may have been put up with because I think people had better sense to a degree than they do now. First of all discipline is a parent's choice. How they choose to dicipline and after raising all the kids we have, we have learned that corporal punishment is just not suitable. There was a time we believed it was. I got my fair share of spankings at home but never at school...My parents would not have allowed it. All of these years I have wondered why when children got a little older in this area, why they were hating school more and more. I know our 17 year old got a paddling in the 3rd grade at school for constantly missing the bus. He also got a paddling in middle school for ditching class. We stopped the paddlings. I no longer felt the school had a right to hit our child. I also got better results but the damage had been done with the I don't like school bit. They then started sending him home if they didn't like his jeans or shirt and we all know how that went down when I attended 3 school board meeting and the press was there for the 1st one. Principal wanted to ban jeans and tee shirts and I started a Watchdog site to make sure we had an eye on not only school happenings but ALL local goings on. We have over 100 members on that watchdog site with all kinds of stories. When Push comes to shove out here though, people lose interest because one other person and me were the only protestors at the school board last year in person but when a 350 lawsuit was brought up regarding the supreme court ruling of Tinker vs DesMoines -1969 School Board, suddenly the board had a change of heart regarding jeans with a tiny hole in them and jeans in general and they even wanted to ban shirts that were not school colors. We won that battle.
The x cop---Principal is no longer there. Neither is the superintendent.... Now I learned some time back that paddlings and dress codes are making their way back and strongly. So is tasering, arresting, handcuffing and basically making American children angry and abusive.
I know teachers have a hard job. It is their chose profession but we are in an economic mess and families are falling apart and homes lost and food is not as plentiful.
What we should have is more counselors for the children instead of the Old Wooden paddle and more rules. Kids get stressed too and God only knows what they are dealing with at home. I have said over and over and over......We the People have to demand better schools, better benefits for vets, better wages, more jobs and at what point do we do it? I am no different I believe than anyone else....I just do what I feel is right and what I believe. My husband and I don't make idle threats or push buttons but what we do, do is stand up for the inequality of people no matter their race. We stand up and speak out against things being shoved down our throats and trying to be shoved down our kids. You learn to be an activist if you live in these rural backwards areas. Where do we start?
In your own community. Get involved. Get active and then make it public. This country is headed towards a beating, oppressive, shameless, angry land. Excuse me, we are already there. I have provided some links or you to check out and my New Years Resolution is to become very vocal online and in person and an activist trying to inspire more activist to stop some of this nonsense.
The government, the legislators, local or otherwise need some accountability and if not us, who and if not now, when? Take a look because the stress of the nation is affecting our little ones and their futures. If we don't lay down some ground rules, then we may as well give the whole nation to the ignorant tea partiers and move out of the country.
http://stopschoolpaddling.blogspot.com/
http://www.youtube.com/...
(I haven't been able to embed lately so above is the link.)
http://www.youtube.com/...
(Tasered 11 year old)
http://www.youtube.com/...
5 year old arrested
http://www.youtube.com/...
3 year old paddled
Many minorities, native americans and disabled children more likely to be hit.
JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST CORPORAL PUNISHMENT IN SCHOOLS !!!!
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BY THE WAY......If anyone wants to paddle ours anymore, my husband and I both agree the principal or the whole school board will have to deal with us one on one and behind locked doors or they can just get their paddling right there in front of everyone. We are willing to go to jail to protect our kids. Parents need to quit being afraid to confront people who are supposed to be administrators and get back to discipling their own children...
If enough parents confronted the grown up bullies then maybe they would think twice before abusing kids. That is our rule for now but this needs to be legislatively done away with.