Weird Teacher Watch: Charles Plummer's Tough Love Leaves Children Battered & Bruised

• kids are raised with corporal punishment have lower IQ, greater violence and self destructive habits like substance abuse, obesity. They are more likely to commit a violent crime or go to jail.

• Maybe that assistant principle got a little more out of it than he should have. Paddling is one thing but injuring a kid is another thing entirely. Yikes...

• I can't remember for sure if there was any further physical discipline after I got home, although there probably was. (Daddy's rule was if I got in trouble at school, I'd also have it at home.) That it doesn't stick out in my memory is probably because I never felt threatened by my parents, nor did I feel anything like hatred or resentment for what they did to me. I never thought they were trying to physically hurt me, whereas I felt that this jackass was. And yeah, I guess we did win in a way (Before the year was up several other students rebelled against his idea of discipline.) because that assistant principle's contract wasn't renewed after that year. I don't know when he went but he was not in our school system any longer.

• Sorry Russell, I hope I'm not misunderstanding you but are you saying you "won"? I mean, did your mom or the school give you some other form of correction after all? Just curious to know what the lesson was to be learned. I totally agree that there are too many times when adults go too far when applying physical correction. But for the child to be the only one determining that, against the wishes of his mother, makes me want to know what else happened.

• Well, I am a firm believer in the use of corporal punishment, but it can certainly be taken too far. My mother could cut herself a thin little limber switch and get my complete attention! That sucker would sting like hell on a hot day, but it couldn't cause any serious physical harm. On the other hand, when I was in the 9th grade we had an assistant principle who used a planed down baseball bat for a paddle, and he was considered to be one of the best amateur golfers in the area. I can attest to the fact that he had one heck of a swing! For cutting class once I took three licks from him and was left with some serious bruising and the firm belief that the S.O.B. almost broke my pelvis. The next time I got into trouble at school (That's right it didn't teach me a lesson either.) I refused to allow him to strike me again, even though the school called my mother and told her I would be suspended if I didn't take the licks. Mom didn't want me suspended and insisted that I take the licks but I still refused. I remember telling her that she could switch me fifty licks if she wanted to but that son of a bitch (Yes he overheard the conversation.) wasn't ever going to hit me again or I'd be hitting back. And I meant it too! He might have been a great golfer but I was 6 ft. tall and about 190 lbs at the time and was regarded as being a very good boxer. I'd never thought about striking a grown man up until that day, but I'd have done it then. I guess he knew that he'd gone too far because it ended up with me just being sent back to class.

• Reminds me of my parents, my father who would go batshyt on me because he hated his life & my mother who was also my teacher for years who would go batshyt on me because she was a massively insecure, phony, Narc who would be triggered by anything that I did that could potentially cause her embarrasment.

• There are 20 states in the US that still allow corporal punishment in school. And you guessed it, Florida is one. Some schools allow you to use a rod/switch or paddle, and some only allow a bare hand. Would any of you really want some the teachers we've seen here paddling your kids? I went to school where every teacher had a paddle, and there were definately some who "loved" to discipline.

• Rare is it when I'll agree that Corporeal Punishment is a valid course of action (that Hellspawn 5 year old that beat up his grandmother who got back from the hospital and beat down a door to get to her is a prime example of when it is an acceptable course of action). However, for general disobedient children, it is not generally a good idea. Plus, there is a very big difference between giving a child a good "whoopin'" once, twice, or maybe even thrice, with a belt or a paddle, and going ape-shit on them. A controlled single spank is far more effective than an uncontrolled beating...not to mention that the former is legal whereas the later is criminal. Besides, the "threat" of a paddling works just as effectively as a paddling. When I was in school there was a veteran teacher who was feared for his paddle. For 25 years every class would pass on words of warning to the next class to beware of his paddle. He even carried it with him everywhere he went, and it was the most vicious looking paddle I have ever seen. No one misbehaved in his class, ever, for fear of that paddle...and even other teachers were able to rely on this fear by offering their students the choice of settling down or going across the hall to this teacher for a paddling. On my last day of school, before I moved to the other side of the country, our entire class got punished for not revealing the identity of someone who had misbehaved. This teacher gave us the choice of writing 1000 lines of apologies or taking his paddle. Since everyone chose the 1000 lines, I decided to leave the school in the most memorable way possible by taking his paddle. Turns out, in his 25 years of teaching he had never had to resort to paddling a single child. I was the very first person who overcame the fear of the rumors of his brutal beatings. Since I was his favorite student, he confided in me his secret and asked me to return to class crying like a baby so that legend of his epic paddling may remain intact. (I gave my best Hollywood performance upon returning to class, and deserved an Emmy that day!) Those who resort to violence when disciplining a child are either not trying hard enough, or they are only proving that they are not as smart as the children they are teaching, but only bigger. Either way, they fail as educators. I say we throw the book at this dinosaur.

• @Angy Gama*, I'm fixin' to tell you something with a kind heart and with complete sincerity. =) It's ok. We know you aren't a good speller and we know you know you aren't a good speller. So rather than spend time telling us you know you misspelled a word, just don't say anything. (Spell check is never down but it is something you won't use and we all understand that about you, ok, so, you can leave the disclaimers out now. We know and it's just how it is. Ok? =)) *Why am I spelling your nick that way? It's just shorter! If it bothers you, I'll stop; just let me know, k? ;) :::: As for this guy, anytime someone takes corporal punishment too far, someone comes along to tout some study that says all corporal punishment is eveeeel and children should never be physically corrected. Well, that's abundant horseshit. Parents, since the dawn of parents, know that you cannot use words on young children to get them to listen to your tone of voice and study your body language. Corporal punishment, appropriately dispensed, is an invaluable child taming tool. Essentially having a fight with a child is not corporal punishment. It is an inappropriate for modern times assertion of male primacy. That said, young boys who do not receive strong correction from sound male father figures at home, will become criminals in no time flat because no one is strong enough to stop them. Except police with Tasers and guns. Male children require strong boundaries, not cement blocks, but strong boundaries.

• Holy hell-this is too much indeed. I do hope he's held accountable for this and not let off easy.

• See, it's assholes like this that take tough love to different meanings. You don't beat a child with a belt, paddle or any weapon. That only serves to show the child that you are a coward and that as such, you can only gain control with a weapon. Spanking is for younger kids. And it is basically a swat on the hind end. These kids are early/mid teens. Tough love for them should be, priveldges (sorry spelled wrong) taking away. No phones, computers, tv, video games, going out ect. You do not attack someone and call it tough love. This POS should have some of his own tough love used on him. He didn't do any Tough Love on these kids. He beat them. And as such, he needs to be arrested for assult and battery (both are of age to file charges) and child abuse. He is a prime example of what is wrong with some "parents/fathers" now a days. And he's a teacher at that? Well, if he will do this to his own flesh and blood, then who's to say he hasn't or would attack a student? Even if it's only verbally attacking. He shouldn't be around any kid no matter their ages. Hopefully, mom will press further charges with the kids and see this POS in jail for quite a while. Asshole.

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