School Daze; Was Summer Birthdays

[msbeadsley]

> Heh - I might have tried that if I'd thought I'd have had a hope at 
> all of winning - but I was attacked by groups of over 100 kids at a 
> time. Fighting back in any form just didn't work.

It boggles my mind that you survived. It *must* have been hell. I 
thought getting beaten up just a couple of times by individuals and 
mugged once by a group of several girls was bad enough. I still 
wonder that you didn't wait until you could get a tormenter alone and 
have a go at one of them now and then; or did dire repercussions 
always follow?

> Only once at the school from hell, did I take any action to defend 
> myself - grabbing the hair of a boy who was crushing me against a 
> wall with his motorised wheelchair in clear view of a teacher who 
> did nothing - except come after me with a detention for defending 
> myself. I'm not sure if that bully was worthy of protection because 
> he was in a wheelchair (which he used to great effect as a weapon), 
> or if it was the fact that his mother was a Cabinet Minister, that 
> gave him special privileges.

This is a good reminder that just because someone has special needs 
or is a member of a minority or may have suffered that they are not 
necessarily "nobler" than the general populace. The world is not made 
up of good guys and Death Eaters, to paraphrase.

> I don't think corporal punishment reinforces acceptance of 
> violence. I never have. I think kids are easily intelligent enough 
> to understand the difference between corporal punishment and 
> violence in general, and understand that the latter is not 
> acceptable, even in environments where the former is - and there's 
> studies to back that up.

There are also studies which illustrate that corporal punishment 
*does* reinforce acceptance of violence. The American Academy of 
Pediatricians cited this as a reason in the statement they issued 
opposing the use of corporal punishment in schools.

Kids also "understand" that smoking cigarettes leads to bad breath, 
general smelliness, stained teeth, addiction, expense, burn holes in 
favorite garments, and health problems. And they are swayed in 
significant numbers every year to take up the filthy habit; how does 
*that* happen to "easily intelligent enough" kids?

I like, and conclude with, the following quote by Dr. Benjamin Spock:

If we are ever to turn toward a kindlier society and a safer world, a 
revulsion against the physical punishment of children would be a good 
place to start.

Sandy