classroom beatings

[Wynne]

Does anyone know the current law for teachers beating students in classrooms?  I'm curious to know if some of the things I've seen here are illegal now or not..

[confusedsafferinkorea]

It is illegal.

[kezzlesnezzle]

According to a korean public school teacher I spoke to, it's illegal, but it is still very common.

[배비곳밖]

I've never seen beatings, but defiantly quick corrective smacks. I was in awe when my co suddenly flicked an eraser right between the eyes of some smart ass kid who was interrupting the class. Not really in awe that she did it, but over her keen on target skills the min he turned back from chatting with the kid behind him. I kinda did a "****, Gina!" in my head.

[teacher_del]

Definitely illegal.  My school even sent out a flowery little message reminding all teachers of this fact a few weeks ago.  (Well, it was definitely flowery after filtering a translation program.)  I'm not sure what the protocol is if one of your teachers is seriously beating your students, though.  The awkwardness of being a foreigner...

[Brian]

It's illegal, I'll try and dig up some links later.  It's been illegal for quite some time now, too, though of course it remains common, and a sizable number of teachers carry "love sticks" to class for intimidation or for use. 

One big reason why some teachers don't hit students isn't because it's unethical (though of course some feel that way), but because practically all students have cellphones that will be used to record and upload the beating. 

[vitamin-d]

I have a teacher that I co-invigilate exams with. If a student falls asleep in the first five minutes he'll punch them in the side of the head. If they're a boy, of course.
I don't really know how to react...

[murakano121]

but because practically all students have cellphones that will be used to record and upload the beating.

that's probably why some teachers (in my school at least) take away their cell phones at the beginning of the day ;)

[mr sam teacher]

I guess I'm lucky. I've never seen a student beaten at my school (an all-boys high school). Occasionally they get a light smack on the shoulder or something, or a little poke with the stick if they're sleeping. Much more common are non-violent physical punishments (crabwalking, pushups, etc.) The Korean teachers at my school are all very cool about these punishments. One guy, the bio teacher, always joins the students in pushups, and puts them all to shame.
Once, a group of guys were caught in the bathroom with cigarettes. They were ushered into our office and were waiting for the head teacher to get back from his class. The teacher who caught them was FURIOUS. I thought I was going to see my first ever beating. But no. The head teacher came back, sat them all down, and for about 20 minutes just talked to them in a soft voice. He basically told them all how sad and disappointed their behavior made him feel. By the time he was done, all three of the students were sobbing and promising to behave (mind you, these were third year students, big tough gangsta wanna-bes). I was impressed. That's the kind of teacher I want to be, one who doesn't need violence or anger or even a loud voice to reach a student.
But judging by some of the horror stories I've heard, my school is a rarity in this regard. That actually makes me so discouraged.

[Janitor]

It is illegal, 100% and I know that Seoul and perhaps Busan MOE's have made it quite clear in the past that they won't tolerate it. However, like in my school, beatings are very common.

My students live in fear of the Japanese teacher. I am not a very big fan of her either. My class is about 25 meters from her office and there are times that I can hear the "smack" of her "love stick" clear as a bell through the doors of my classroom. At first I thought some one was building something, then I poked my head out and saw the scene. nasty stuff.

My school is a hard school for discipline and it is mostly because they beat the students. I have been here for some time, so I am not casting a judgmental waygook eye at there actions, but they just don't work. They need to find other ways. In conversation my Korean teachers have talked about different ways like physical punishments and detention but the biggest challenge is the parents who will defend their delinquent offspring until the end. In my mind an English detention wound be great and I know that if they were late for their hogwans there will be hell to pay as well.

[confusedsafferinkorea]

I think you must distinguish between a 'beating' and a short sharp smack. I guess we are lucky in Korea that for the most students are respectful, but I have on occasions wished I could give them a smack.  At the risk of offending people, I still believe that some children would benefit from a hiding and coming from a country which recently outlawed corporal punishment, I could see the difference in behaviour of students (it got worse) since its banning. 

I am not condoning wholesale 'beatings' but a good smack at the right time never did anyone any harm. Well, having said that, we all know it is illegal and I would never do it simply because of that, but sometimes I am sorely tempted !!!! :)

[helloana]

I am not condoning wholesale 'beatings' but a good smack at the right time never did anyone any harm.

I'm assuming you've never been hit as a child..because one smack, even when you think it is the right time, can completely ruin a relationship between an adult and an child.

[confusedsafferinkorea]

I don't intend to turn this into a huge debate because we all have our own opinions but yes, I received many a good smack (which I deserved) when I was a child and many hidings at school and NONE of them affected my relationship with my parents or teachers, in fact it made me respect them even more. Today, still, my mom who is 89 is my best friend, so you see it was ok for me.

My children (24 and 26 years old now) never once needed a smack because they are just that kind of person but there are some children that benefit from it, believe me.

[jehall]

Let's not forget that corporal punishment is still legal in roughly 20 states in U.S.A. so what we see isn't that different from North America. While it's not practiced that much in the U.S., it still happens in some areas with paddle and all. Of course, it's a complex issue and I don't think one should be taking an extreme position on either side. "A good smack at the right time" can be beneficial. But it's pretty difficult to determine what's a good smack and when's the right time.

For those who are interested, this is an article we all studied in teacher's college and talked about. It's about how a principal brought in corporal punishment into a south Carolina school and completely changed the school around in terms of academic performance and behaviour issues.
http://www.newsweek.com/2009/04/24/the-principal-and-the-paddle.html

[MattPierce]

I am not condoning wholesale 'beatings' but a good smack at the right time never did anyone any harm.

I'm assuming you've never been hit as a child..because one smack, even when you think it is the right time, can completely ruin a relationship between an adult and an child.

rofl. My parents beat my ass when I was a kid because I was a little ****. I am still friends with them. Discipline does not harm anyone, on the other hand abuse does.

[confusedsafferinkorea]

Of course abuse is wrong, and the problem is that many people do abuse their children when disciplining them, but by the same token, you can mentally abuse someone easily too when punishing them.

At the end of the day, I think we must agree to disagree and the fact remains that it is illegal in Korea and we have to abide by that.

[jonpurdy]

It's technically illegal. However, older male teachers still tend to do it (especially for middle and high schools).

Keep in mind that things that would work back in Canada or the US don't work here. Teachers can't send bad kids to the principal because they would lose face. English teachers can't send kids to their homeroom teacher because the English teacher and the homeroom teacher would lose face. There aren't any pink slips or discipline slips or detentions or anything like this.

Until those measures get implemented (if ever) Korean teachers are left with corporal punishment as a last resort. In elementary school it certainly works and kids shape up pretty quickly, though I personally think the western system of detention would be at least as effective (and non-violent!). It'd make it a lot easier for foreign teachers to be taken seriously since kids tend to not take us seriously unless we use physical punishment as well.

[rita2001]

Well. beating children is always wrong in a school "arena". But it has been said now that you can't even discipline the children in Korea since Sept 10'. I teach my children it is never right for boys to hit girls and girls shouldn't hit boys. I still give them discipline ie. make them stay in a push-up position or sitting stance w/o a chair if they talk too much, or make them sing and dance in front of the class when they're late. But if a student is way out of line, I will definitely grab them up, as to scare, but never harm.

[Gakseori]

The fact that some of you are employed as teachers is horrifying. Beatings should be reserved for ******* teachers who fantasize about physically assaulting children.

[confusedsafferinkorea]

@Gakseori.  That is a pretty harsh statement to make and perhaps you don't have as much experience as some of the other teachers here in dealing with some really delinquent children.

Just because you don't agree with someones point of view does not mean you have to use insulting language. NO-ONE on this forum advocated 'beatings', the point was made that in some cases physical punishment was the only option and believe it or not millions of people went through education systems that allowed corporal punishment and turn out quite normal and in most cases well balanced people. Let me stress again, NO-ONE here is talking about physical abuse.

I can also assure you as an Educator with more than 30 years teaching experience, that the spoken word sometimes has a far more devastating effect on a child than any hiding given in love.