ROTHENBURGER – Changing attitudes on use of spanking to discipline kids

‘UP FRONT!’ I remember the words of my high school French teacher oh so well.

Learning French was a challenge for me; languages other than English don’t come easily.

Consequently, I and a few others had a bad habit of fooling around instead of memorizing “’J’entre dans la salle de class, je regarde autour de moi.”

Our teacher didn’t take kindly to our attitude, and occasionally — his face red with rage — he uttered those feared words.

We knew what was coming next. On at least one occasion, I was the one charged, tried and convicted.

His weapon of choice was a yardstick, and it hurt like hell. He was a strong believer that sparing the rod spoiled the child.

Flash forward to today and inflicting physical pain on kids is no longer used in the hallways of learning to discipline them but it still goes on in the home.

Media coverage of a new public opinion poll leaves the impression corporal punishment still goes on in schools but a quick check of legal developments contradicts that impression.

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Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops, alternate TNRD director and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.