- Is Corporal Punishment an effective tool in schools?
No... A person's brain is known to stop developing after the age of 20, which means certain behaviours could attempt to be changed. Plus this is usually the fault of the parent (if even indirect).
- Does Zero Tolerance work or does it violate student rights?
Zero tolerance at least makes it clear that such things will not be tolerated, yet often times it does not stop some people... Just on what they believe... (whether right or wrong).
- What should be done to keep kids in line in the classroom?
Have the teachers watch the Nanny show (as well as parents).
- What is the line between discipline and abuse in the classroom?
Any unprecedented touching (aside from restraining if need be of course), or even psychological attack.
- Do students have rights to complain about how they are punished?
Yes, if their punishment was for a wrongfully deemed act (as is we know that the innocent definitely deserve some reprimand) that did not suit the "crime" then I'd think certain legal action could be taken.
- Anyone have any experience with these sorts of things?
In sociology, we had briefly learned about different aspects on what makes a deviant and a criminal. Several theories were brought up as to why crime occurs.
These are as follows:
Biological: How the person may look, including body type: endomorph, mesomorph and ectomorph
Differential association: Crime is learned in a meaningful interactive manner. This is where all the TV, video game etc theories stem from.
Strain: People feel strain when they are unable to attain a cultural goal because they don't have the means to do so, that which is culturally acceptable.
Opportunity: Not to be confused with opportunity when the crime is available but rather when the environmental circumastances facilitate it. Like a house having poor lighting may have a better chance to be robbed.
Control: Social restraints and laws, if the police said that they would not be policing or arresting tomorrow, what would happen?
Labeling: Someone commits an act of crime for the first time, or is accused of one. Then they are only associated as such, (like a criminal), thus instilling the deviant's believes that they are indeed bad (this is the most common type for children), even if the label comes with a reason, they may still identify themself as being bad.
Brain function: Self explanatory.
- Teachers who abuse students are often given protection by the school district. Does a Teacher's word mean more than a students in such allegations?
It will, the teachers are protected by their union...
- For those outside the US, do you experience anything like this? What's legal/what's not?
I've never come across anything.