I am writing in reply to the recent publication of an item on the topic of
             corporal punishment. I do not agree that it is needed to bring discipline back into our
             schools. It is assumed that a child who has been caned would be less likely to commit
             another offence , but this was never proved and , in fact , one theory holds that severe
             corporal punishment increases the likelihood of future offences.
             There are better ways to discipline students than hitting them. Some parents may
             believe that spanking a child may be beneficial but apart from being potentially
             dangerous physically, it can lower their self esteem, hinder their academic abilities
             and may even contribute to disruptive and violent behaviour. Some pupils may feel so
             afraid to go to school that they are tempted to play truant.
             Over the past few years we have become more and more obsessive over bringing our
             lives into the twenty first century and now , here you are telling us that we should
             bring back corporal punishment, a system which is looked upon as old fashioned !
             Discipline should begin in the home . Parents have and should accept the task
             of instilling in their children respect for right and wrong, respect for others and all the
             other basic lessons of living, working, playing and learning with others. They should
             try to teach him to control himself and take responsibility for his actions and their
             consequences .Unfortunately, because some parents find it difficult to do this from
             infancy , the teachers role is all the more difficult. Still, restoring this rule is not the
             way to resolve theses difficulties. Get to children in infancy and their early years and
             their lives will be shaped more fully for future growth. Restoring their teachers'
             power to hit them across the bottom or knuckles doesn't fit that picture. Forget
             Roald Dahl's book entitled "Boy" tells about the times when cor
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