LookAtVietnam – Should teachers be allowed to spank or beat their students as a way to encourage learning and good behavior? The issue has become a hot topic on education forums.

Should teachers be allowed to spank or beat their students as a way to encourage learning and good behavior?

Tai related that he was beaten by his teacher during his lessons.

Uncooperative students, permissive parents

Meanwhile, Phan Van Tri, the headmaster of Pham Van Hai school, said that he was surprised when hearing that K, the teacher, had beaten a student. Tri said that, from his observations, K has a good nature and loves his students.

He added that K, who has been working as teacher for 20 years, has never been previously accused of unacceptable behavior toward his students. However, Tri agreed that K’s behavior was unacceptable and he promised to discipline K.

K also admitted that he gave Tai an excessively heavy beating. Explaining his actions, K said that Tai has not taken notes in class or learned his lessons in the past month. Tai has also not completed his homework exercises.

As Tai was too undisciplined, K asked the student to stay after school for half an hour to receive extra lessons. However, Tai’s mother complained about that.

Minh, the father of Tai, feels that he has been too busy to care for Tai properly. Tai’s mother, in turn, has shielded her son’s mistakes. K. and Tri, the teacher and headmaster, visited Tai’s parents many times to reveal that Tai repeatedly played truant and made a lot of mistakes.

“Spare the rod, spoil the child”

While educating children “with the rod” is considered an unscientific method, many education forum participants support the teacher.

Parents say that although educating children with rod is not encouraged, it can sometimes still be useful. They believe that many parents nowadays tend to overindulge their children, which leads to their bad behavior as students.

mrchulong@yahoo.com wrote, “I regret the overindulgence of many students by their parents.”

Nguyen Trung Thanh from thanh.1970@yahoo.com.vn commented that he was once a teacher, and so he understood K.’s behavior. He was also very sad when his students did not learn their lessons and their parents were uncooperative.

“What would you do if your children did not listen to you?” he questioned.

Minh Chau from lthmchau@gmail.com added, “Sometimes a mother is so angry that she also beats her child, let alone the teacher, who needs to take care for 40-50 students.”

Tran Viet Anh at No 325/22R Bach Dang Road in HCM City replied that he would have beaten his children even more severely, because spankings are necessary to educate children.

The story of teacher K. has reminded readers of the case of teacher Hoang Thuy Anh Thu in Kien Giang province, who punished her students with 400 rods because they did not learn their lessons.

The parents recalled when they were students and received spankings from teachers. Many wrote that the beatings helped them become successful in their lives today.

Pham Khanh from phamkhanh178@yahoo.com, though believing that K. is at fault, still thinks that in years to come, when Tai grows up, he will thank K. for the beating, which will help him become a useful member of society.

VietNamNet/PL TP HCM