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Discipline: Spare The Rod, Spoil The Child


I was very skeptical about writing this particular article. When it comes to discipline,  I try so hard not to sound cliché. Everybody got their own style of discipline and more often, this is as a result of the kind of upbringing one had when growing up.

The Christian religion believe that "He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly" - Proverbs 13:24 NKJV. So if i grew up in a Christian home, I would probably be more inclined to this ideology in the Bible. However, not every parent or teacher is a christian believer, so why would this rule apply to them?

Discipline is the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behaviour, using punishment to correct disobedience. The first part of the aforementioned is usually widely accepted while the latter part brings a lot of controversy when touched on.
Why is it so? Let's just presume that people hate punishment as much as I do hence, the uproar against it. However, I must say frankly, but for the kind of discipline I had received from my parents and teachers when growing up, I would have been "pretty stubborn" by now.

I am very much in support of punishment as a way of correcting the child and not abusing the child. So then, what are some of the safest ways of punishment in our schools?

In my elementary days, you would be made to sweep a designated area, clean the whitehouse (toilet), bring a brush/broom, or just receive some strokes of cane on your butt or palm, none of which I preferred anyways. I'm not sure I would want my kid, if I do have one, being punished in that manner.

However, I have come to understand that there are positive punishments and negative punishments, either of which would cause no physical, mental or emotional harm to the child.

For example, a pupil in my class refused to do his homework hence, I made him do the homework at his recess time since he loved to play. This is a form of positive punishment. Taking away his play time so he could get the work done.


Another, a pupil reported a friend bullying her so I made the one doing the bullying to sit in a corner for an hour. No tv, no play, no human contact. Just sit and face the wall until the pupil had regretted his or her offence and rendered an apology. This being a form of negative punishment.

Hence, when it comes to punishments, the condition that warrants the reaction is what needs to be addressed. The more reason why the discipliner needs to probe further to discover the reason for such actions or inactions.

Kindly drop your comments below on punishments that could be meted out for indiscipline. Please be nice.
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