THE tragic death of the popular teacher at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds must raise the question of returning to severe punishment for pupils violating the rules of school education.
It seems the perpetrators have no sense of right or wrong, or they are just so selfish that they believe their own bad behaviour is acceptable.
Discipline is the key to a safe society, says Adrian Taylor
Are parents of under-18s starting discipline early enough? I suspect many young parents can’t be bothered to correct their children for the sake of disturbing what they are doing. Home discipline should start by the age of four but should always be accompanied by explanations of the wrong-doing instilled on the child in a loving manner, so the child grows up to respect law and order because they know the difference between right and wrong. If severe punishment is reinstated in schools it must be closely monitored to prevent teachers abusing the pupil by overuse of the punishment.
The old saying springs to mind – ‘Spare the rod and spoil the child’. I don’t advocate teachers ruling with an iron fist but there will always be cases where pupils with behavioural problems push the teachers to punish too severely. The old school ways of rewarding pupils with a good behaviour record could help the whole education scenario.
ADRIAN TAYLOR
Duncan Close
Eynsham
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