Standing children in the corner in class for minor issues?

louise540056

We are told to send them to the "referred room"- but like you say Sirbendy- they just wander around and love being sent there- they don't have to work then!!

Silverbird

I vividly remember being about 8 or 9 (1989/1990) and getting very bored in class and, admittedly, sighed once very dramatically.

I was told to go and stand in the corner. When I was facing into the corner she smacked my bottom with a nearby jigsaw box.

I had to stay there for the rest of the lesson (I think it was about half an hour - I remember I felt dizzy having to stand up and not move for so long).

Flashdaisy

My 10 year old DD's class teacher makes the children sit on a table on their own if they keep chatting or messing around in lessons; I know from experience that my DD doesn't always take notice if she's told to do something and does usually need an "action" as a punishment, so I don't have a problem with the teacher separating a child from the rest of the class if they are being disruptive and have ignored warnings.

What I do take issue with at my DD's school is the fact that some very naughty children are just allowed to behave however they want, then if they have a day when they behave fairly normally they are rewarded. Those children (such as my DD) that are generally well behaved never get any praise or reward as such,just punishment if they step out of line. There is one particular girl in DD's year who is a bully and has actually stolen property belonging to other pupils many times. We went to see the Headteacher last year about her as did some other parents and although he tried to sort it out by speaking to her parents and speaking to the child etc, he then said that we must all accept that this is just what this child is like and tell our children to ignore her if they don't like her! The girl has said to children that she doesn't "give a s***" what the Headteacher says.

Sorry this has turned into a bit of a rant of my own, I guess what I am trying to say is I think punishments are fine as long as they are across the board and all children are treated the same if they misbehave.

Neeny82

One of my science teachers went one further than lines and made you do 'definitions' as punishment.

Basically she would give you a word to start from in a dictionary and make you write out the words and all the meanings of the words and normally you had to do at least 100 which took ages longer than line did! She would also make you start at a word relating to your behaviour at the time e.g listening

roswell

</Life of brian moment>

Stood in the corner .. the lucky B%$£%ds

<\life of brian moment>

when i was a child it was the kane :-) and it was called disipline worked a treat :-)

milliebear00001

Silverbird wrote: »

I vividly remember being about 8 or 9 (1989/1990) and getting very bored in class and, admittedly, sighed once very dramatically.

I was told to go and stand in the corner. When I was facing into the corner she smacked my bottom with a nearby jigsaw box.

I had to stay there for the rest of the lesson (I think it was about half an hour - I remember I felt dizzy having to stand up and not move for so long).

Unless you were in a private school, what this teacher did broke the law. Corporal punishment in state schools was outlawed in 1986.

milliebear00001

Flashdaisy wrote: »

My 10 year old DD's class teacher makes the children sit on a table on their own if they keep chatting or messing around in lessons; I know from experience that my DD doesn't always take notice if she's told to do something and does usually need an "action" as a punishment, so I don't have a problem with the teacher separating a child from the rest of the class if they are being disruptive and have ignored warnings.

What I do take issue with at my DD's school is the fact that some very naughty children are just allowed to behave however they want, then if they have a day when they behave fairly normally they are rewarded. Those children (such as my DD) that are generally well behaved never get any praise or reward as such,just punishment if they step out of line. There is one particular girl in DD's year who is a bully and has actually stolen property belonging to other pupils many times. We went to see the Headteacher last year about her as did some other parents and although he tried to sort it out by speaking to her parents and speaking to the child etc, he then said that we must all accept that this is just what this child is like and tell our children to ignore her if they don't like her! The girl has said to children that she doesn't "give a s***" what the Headteacher says.

Sorry this has turned into a bit of a rant of my own, I guess what I am trying to say is I think punishments are fine as long as they are across the board and all children are treated the same if they misbehave.

I can completely understand that it might look this way to an outsider, but as several people have already stated, you don't know the reasons teachers may have for 'going easy' on some poorly behaved children. They may have a particular issue/difficulty, either biologically, emotionally, or socially, of which you don't know. The teacher is the only person dealing with that class who has a full insight into each and every child - including their home background and educational development up to that point. They are the best person to decide what sanctions and rewards are most appropriate to each child. As I stated earlier though, it is hard to do this while not coming across as inconsistent (to both children and their parents). Please bear in mind the teacher may have excellent reasons for their choices which you don't understand for reasons of confidentiality..

Silverbird

milliebear00001 wrote: »

Unless you were in a private school, what this teacher did broke the law. Corporal punishment in state schools was outlawed in 1986.

No, wasn't a private school and was definitely after 1986.

My mother and father both hit me frequently at home and her smack wasn't very hard, but hard enough to be heard and felt and I could hear people moving in their seats (lots of creaking) as they looked round. It wasn't the pain that I felt upsetting, but more the embarrassment and I'd never been hit by somebody other than my parents before, which may be why it stuck in my memory.

However, I was so mortified by it that I never did tell my parents what she'd done!

It was my fault for sighing loudly, but it was the most daring thing I'd ever done (I was an excellent, hardworking pupil, but must have been very bored and silly that day!) I guess if I was one of the trouble-makers I might have expected this kind of punishment, but even now it seems very over the top for sighing just once. Maybe she was having a bad day too!

milliebear00001

Silverbird wrote: »

No, wasn't a private school and was definitely after 1986.

My mother and father both hit me frequently at home and her smack wasn't very hard, but hard enough to be heard and felt and I could hear people moving in their seats (lots of creaking) as they looked round. It wasn't the pain that I felt upsetting, but more the embarrassment and I'd never been hit by somebody other than my parents before, which may be why it stuck in my memory.

However, I was so mortified by it that I never did tell my parents what she'd done!

It was my fault for sighing loudly, but it was the most daring thing I'd ever done (I was an excellent, hardworking pupil, but must have been very bored and silly that day!) I guess if I was one of the trouble-makers I might have expected this kind of punishment, but even now it seems very over the top for sighing just once. Maybe she was having a bad day too!

No, not your fault. Whether she was having a bad day or not, it doesn't mean she was right to break the law! I left primary in 1986 and was slapped myself (once) prior to that (for stepping into the road while walking to the swimming baths). It shocked me profoundly at the time and I was mortified. Even worse though, I remember a boy of about 8 in my class having his face smashed into the blackboard because he kept turning around and making the rest of the class laugh (he was standing face to the blackboard at the time). He was hysterical, and we all knew (including the recently qualified teacher) that she'd overstepped the mark, but nothing ever came of it, despite several of us telling our parents. As a teacher myself now, I really hope we never return to those days!

Silverbird

milliebear00001 wrote: »

No, not your fault. Whether she was having a bad day or not, it doesn't mean she was right to break the law! I left primary in 1986 and was slapped myself (once) prior to that (for stepping into the road while walking to the swimming baths). It shocked me profoundly at the time and I was mortified. Even worse though, I remember a boy of about 8 in my class having his face smashed into the blackboard because he kept turning around and making the rest of the class laugh (he was standing face to the blackboard at the time). He was hysterical, and we all knew (including the recently qualified teacher) that she'd overstepped the mark, but nothing ever came of it, despite several of us telling our parents. As a teacher myself now, I really hope we never return to those days!

I totally agree with you. A lot of people say 'bring back the cane - never did me any harm', but for a lot of people it did.

I do think that back when it was OK for the teachers to hit kids, it was much more acceptable and commonplace for parents to do this as well and so the parents didn't seem too bothered if they found out their child had been hit at school.

Interesting debate!