Con ~ Round 1

I am completely against hitting or spanking students for punishment in schools.

First off, I am still in school, in middle school actually.. and I think that if you punish a child it should not be harsh as in pain. This doesnt solve problems it only keeps them calm at the monment of. They will never understand the actual reason you are punishing them unless you talk to them.

Second, it is still surpprisingly legal in 23 states in America. The United States is the only state in the western world which still tolerates corporal punishment in its schools. There are many forms of this as in strapping or whipping, and even cuffing the child behind the head. These things start to give some students nervous habits such as nail bitting being the one of the most common.

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry opposes the use of corporal punishment in schools and takes issue with laws in some states legalizing such corporal punishment and protecting adults who use it from prosecution for child abuse.

Now, i would thank anyone who will take on my propostion and show me the other side, if there is one :)

Pro ~ Round 1

I will number my opponent's points for ease of replying to them.
=====Response To=====
1. Corporally punishing a child does not solve problems, it just keeps the child calm for a short time.
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I will respond to this point after the others, even though it is first.



=====Response To=====
2. Students will never learn through corporal punishment - you must talk to them for them to understand why they're being punished.
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Using corporal punishment does not disallow teachers to speak with the child as well.
Anyway, the child will know BEFORE the punishment why they're being punished. We'll see this later, in my response to R1.



=====Response To=====
3. The US is the only place in the western world where this is accepted.
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This point is meaningless. It is an appeal to false authority. Just because no other members of the western world agree with it does not mean it is wrong. What my opponent has to do is show WHY it is wrong, not list people who think it is wrong.



=====Response To=====
4. Corporal punishment causes nervous habits like biting nails.
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No source is given for this, and an experiment most people would consider unethical would be required to show causation between corporal punishment and nervous habits. [One would have to gather many people for a study, study their behavior patterns, give them some corporal punishment, then restudy their behavior patterns and see the differences. I doubt this has been done, but if it has, I'd like a source on it.]



=====Response To=====
5. AACAP opposes corporal punishment in schools, and wants it to be illegal.
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Like #3, this is an appeal to authority. Stating that someone agrees with a position is not enough to make a case for the position, and in fact does not contribute at all. What's important here for a case might be the reasons why the AACAP is against it.



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The Case For Corporal Punishment
===================
Here is where I will respond to point #1, as well as make any other points in favor of corporal punishment.

#1 states that corporally punishing a child does not solve problems, it just keeps the child calm for a short time.

Keeping a child calm for a short time can solve problems. Here are a few scenarios:

A> A child is so out of control that he strikes the teacher or another student.

B> A child is not obeying verbal commands, and there is an immediate need to stop him/her. [A student could be violating another student's personal/private space and refusing to stop, etc.]

C> A child consents to being corporally punished by the teacher. [This may seem absurd, but it is a scenario my opponent must argue against using corporal punishment in nonetheless.]

D> A child is not obeying verbal commands, and there is a need to stop him/her that is not immediate. [A child might be causing a disruption in class and refusing to stop, etc.]

In many or all of the above scenarios, corporal punishment is the best answer. Therefore, a teacher should be allowed to excercise corporal punishment on a student. Not on a whim, mind you, but if the situation demands it.

I look forward to the rest of the debate, thanks to my opponent for this interesting topic.

Con ~ Round 2

This round was forfeited because the debater did not post their argument within the allotted time.

Pro ~ Round 2

My case from round 1 still stands, so I'll give my opponent one more shot to argue it. Hopefully he shows.

Con ~ Round 3

This round was forfeited because the debater did not post their argument within the allotted time.

Pro ~ Round 3

My round 1 was never rebutted, as my opponent failed to respond to my arguments.

After I rebutted his case, I posted this offense:

===================
The Case For Corporal Punishment
===================
Here is where I will respond to point #1, as well as make any other points in favor of corporal punishment.

#1 states that corporally punishing a child does not solve problems, it just keeps the child calm for a short time.

Keeping a child calm for a short time can solve problems. Here are a few scenarios:

A> A child is so out of control that he strikes the teacher or another student.

B> A child is not obeying verbal commands, and there is an immediate need to stop him/her. [A student could be violating another student's personal/private space and refusing to stop, etc.]

C> A child consents to being corporally punished by the teacher. [This may seem absurd, but it is a scenario my opponent must argue against using corporal punishment in nonetheless.]

D> A child is not obeying verbal commands, and there is a need to stop him/her that is not immediate. [A child might be causing a disruption in class and refusing to stop, etc.]

In many or all of the above scenarios, corporal punishment is the best answer. Therefore, a teacher should be allowed to excercise corporal punishment on a student. Not on a whim, mind you, but if the situation demands it.