Principal 'paddling' first grader for damaging computer

[wenrob]

So how come some of y'all are putting the mom at fault? Do you think she should have taken the paddle and beaten the principal unconscious?

I don’t think anyone is putting the mom at fault. More like we can’t picture ourselves not stepping in. It’s a gut instinct to protect your child. Yeah, I would have gotten physical if I felt there was no other way. But again I was not in the position this lady was. Obviously she was scared.

 

[DLgal]

I hate that saying. Anytime I hear people say this, I think, well maybe you did turn out ok. But you could have turned out better.

I basically automatically think "no, you did not turn out okay, because you believe that hitting a child is okay."

It's never okay to lord your power and strength over a being weaker than you just because you can. We have laws against hitting animals, for goodness sake. It's high time we stop hitting kids, period. It needs to be made illegal in all circumstances. It's abusive behavior.

 

[daisy2013]

I basically automatically think "no, you did not turn out okay, because you believe that hitting a child is okay."

It's never okay to lord your power and strength over a being weaker than you just because you can. We have laws against hitting animals, for goodness sake. It's high time we stop hitting kids, period. It needs to be made illegal in all circumstances. It's abusive behavior.

What’s really sad is the first child welfare cases were brought using animal welfare laws because there were no laws protecting children but there were law to protect animals.

 

[Snowflakey]

This who story just gets my blood boiling!!!

Second grade - we would start the day with our chairs in a big circle. That dang teacher would walk around with a blue bic pen in her hand - not sure if they still do but back then these pens had a cone shape cap. Well, she would walk around the circle as we sat and hit us on the head with the pen. Watching all the kids faces as she approached them I can still see....

One day......that one beautiful, powerful, magical day.....I took my big thick red pencil in my hand (remember them?) and sat in my chair with that pencil under my leg,. As she approached me and hit me on the head I sprung up onto my chair with my little blue dress and hair in pigtails and I jammed that red pencil on top of her head as hard as I could.

She stopped - looked at me and didn't say a thing. Never was it done again....

 

[Silver saucer]

Obviously spanking was awful here. That principal is nuts!!
But...... the mom just sat there and filmed it??? Give me a break. I don't care if she is undocumented. Mom did nothing. She is as guilty if not more so than the principal for doing nothing. Absolutely she could have intervened. And now we all know she is undocumented so she couldnt have been that afraid.

Nobody would touch my kid like that with me just standing there busily filming.

 

[TippyThomas]

Armchair quarterbacking is fun.

 

[wenrob]

Armchair quarterbacking is fun.

Well it’s not hard. A principal should not be assaulting a child. The end.

 

[TippyThomas]

Well it’s not hard. A principal should not be assaulting a child. The end.

I agree completely. I was referring to some other things mentioned here.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

Does the fact that the headmistress had a paddle to hand suggest that paddling is a common occurrence at that school?

 

[wenrob]

Does the fact that the headmistress had a paddle to hand suggest that paddling is a common occurrence at that school?

I would guess so. However corporal punishment is illegal in that county.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

I would guess so. However corporal punishment is illegal in that county.

It makes you consider how many other children may benefit and be protected as a result of this Mother’s actions. I wonder how the child feels towards her Mother, for allowing this to happen.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Anyone mentioning the colleague participating too? Shouldn't she at least be looked at for charges?

I suspect the principal had it out for this particular family but why I don't know. I won't speculate because it could be prejudicial, it could be stereotypical, it could be actually personal but there appears to be something going on.

I'm honestly really iffy on this 'fear' reasoning. At least in the video I saw I heard nothing from the mom. No pleas to stop, no cursing, no "don't do that to my child, get your hands off". I understand the undocumented status, I get the intimation feel, but at least from what I saw there was no protest nadda and to be frozen in fear but recording but not saying anything. There's just more going on. I'm trying to be erroring on the side of caution but I'm just iffy here.

Maybe it's a personal thing between the two of them. Regardless I almost get the feeling this isn't about the child, who is the one who really suffered in this.

 

[Pink Partridge]

Anyone mentioning the colleague participating too? Shouldn't she at least be looked at for charges?

Yes! She is holding the child's hands down and repositioning her to receive the next hits with the piece of wood.

She should be charged for sure!

 

[Pink Partridge]

Does the fact that the headmistress had a paddle to hand suggest that paddling is a common occurrence at that school?

I wonder if more abused children will come forward?

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

Just for interest, in Wales and Scotland corporal punishment of any child is illegal. So neither parents nor schools can use corporal punishment against a child. Also, corporal punishment of a child taking place in Wales or Scotland cannot by justified in any civil or criminal proceedings on the grounds that it constituted reasonable punishment. England is out of step on this.

 

[Pink Partridge]

https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/s...Pym0mTTprT4CbXRYivKo8WLckiaxG4An3kTZ0M-moL4Q8
I can't believe this many people are supporting an out-of-control, unprofessional, uneducated abuser.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

Anyone mentioning the colleague participating too? Shouldn't she at least be looked at for charges?

I suspect the principal had it out for this particular family but why I don't know. I won't speculate because it could be prejudicial, it could be stereotypical, it could be actually personal but there appears to be something going on.

I'm honestly really iffy on this 'fear' reasoning. At least in the video I saw I heard nothing from the mom. No pleas to stop, no cursing, no "don't do that to my child, get your hands off". I understand the undocumented status, I get the intimation feel, but at least from what I saw there was no protest nadda and to be frozen in fear but recording but not saying anything. There's just more going on. I'm trying to be erroring on the side of caution but I'm just iffy here.

Maybe it's a personal thing between the two of them. Regardless I almost get the feeling this isn't about the child, who is the one who really suffered in this.

It does raise a lot of questions.

 

[wenrob]

https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/s...Pym0mTTprT4CbXRYivKo8WLckiaxG4An3kTZ0M-moL4Q8
I can't believe this many people are supporting an out-of-control, unprofessional, uneducated abuser.

I can give a bunch of guesses but it would most likely make this thread veer left and get me points. Short answer: Because it wasn’t *their* kid.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/s...Pym0mTTprT4CbXRYivKo8WLckiaxG4An3kTZ0M-moL4Q8
I can't believe this many people are supporting an out-of-control, unprofessional, uneducated abuser.

I suggest that you are being too forgiving by excusing the headmistress’ conduct by describing her thus. She is clearly calm and very much in control, joyous even and presumably as a headteacher professionally qualified and educated. She is also in a position of power and trust. It is horrendous.

 

[AndreaA]

Anyone mentioning the colleague participating too? Shouldn't she at least be looked at for charges?

I suspect the principal had it out for this particular family but why I don't know. I won't speculate because it could be prejudicial, it could be stereotypical, it could be actually personal but there appears to be something going on.

I'm honestly really iffy on this 'fear' reasoning. At least in the video I saw I heard nothing from the mom. No pleas to stop, no cursing, no "don't do that to my child, get your hands off". I understand the undocumented status, I get the intimation feel, but at least from what I saw there was no protest nadda and to be frozen in fear but recording but not saying anything. There's just more going on. I'm trying to be erroring on the side of caution but I'm just iffy here.

Maybe it's a personal thing between the two of them. Regardless I almost get the feeling this isn't about the child, who is the one who really suffered in this.

Yeah, I’m right there with you. She’s scared because she’s undocumented but she went to a lawyer anyway? Seems to me that this is going to be a big payday for her. She says she wanted people to know “what’s going on” at the school. People say it would have been her word against the principal’s if the paddling hadn’t actually happened. No. Just NO. I think she could have filmed herself arguing with the principal after the principal told her what was going to happen. Heck, she could have “allowed” one hit and then jumped in to stop it. She just sat there and filmed the whole thing! Sorry, but that’s just wrong.