# Novel punishment for misbehaving in school? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 13, 2004, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novel-punishment-for-misbehaving-in-school/279674 "2004-12-13T23:10:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Milkman\_Dan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Milkman\_Dan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Milkman_Dan)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novel-punishment-for-misbehaving-in-school/279674/21 "2004-12-15T08:40:38Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > Just don’t hit them with a hardbound copy of _War and Peace_. Unless your name is \*\*Kel Varnson, Latex Divison, \*\* in which case it’s probably common practice. ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novel-punishment-for-misbehaving-in-school/279674/22 "2004-12-15T14:29:45Z")
This is obviously a punishment designed to make parents recognize their responsibility for their child’s behavior in school, and absolve schools from blame for the wreckage following upon a child’s misbehavior. The idea is, create a situation that will make parental punishment likely, and not only will the punishment be more effective (because it takes place at home, where kids spend most of their time, and without even the sop of approbation of one’s peers) but harsher as well. I’m in favor of things like this, if the child’s continued misbehavior can be traced to parental neglect and the parental punishment expected does not rise to the level of abuse. Since neither of these is a sure thing, I regard it as merely a weak-kneed suspension, without the advantage of removing disruptive influences from the classroom. The kid might get hit, which is what the school is hoping for but can’t do, but the parent will still be clueless and both of them will forevermore be the least cooperative people in the school system. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novel-punishment-for-misbehaving-in-school/279674/23 "2004-12-15T15:01:32Z")
> [@Spongemom](#): > > I think if more moms are willing to pick their noses in front of their kids’ friends, more kids would sit still and be good. Hey, I’m willing to do my part. I’d actually love to go to my daughter’s Language Arts class, it sounds great. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novel-punishment-for-misbehaving-in-school/279674/24 "2004-12-15T17:17:00Z")
I’m of two minds about this. On one hand, my parents were very traditonal, so for them to see that I was being taught some very modern ideas might have shocked them. On the other hand, I was picked on a lot because of my name - and well, the fact that I was the only non-white kid most of the time. So I wouldn’t have minded my parents seeing that because my mother rarely believed me when I told her about it. ---
**Author:** ![Madd\_Maxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Madd\_Maxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madd_Maxx)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novel-punishment-for-misbehaving-in-school/279674/25 "2004-12-15T17:21:02Z")
> [@phall0106](#): > > However, I still have wild thoughts of sitting in front of Patrick M. in my Catholic school girl uniform–only now my thoughts are something akin to a heavy metal rock video and Patrick M. is nekkid. 😃 > > _It does seem weird thanking a Catholic nun as the inspiration for a wild sex fantasy._ How _you_ doin’ ? You can call me Patrick. Patrick M. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BoringDad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ad7895/32.png) [@BoringDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoringDad)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novel-punishment-for-misbehaving-in-school/279674/26 "2004-12-15T22:31:04Z")
> [@The King of Soup](#): > > I’m in favor of things like this, if the child’s continued misbehavior can be traced to parental neglect and the parental punishment expected does not rise to the level of abuse. Since neither of these is a sure thing, I regard it as merely a weak-kneed suspension, without the advantage of removing disruptive influences from the classroom. The kid might get hit, which is what the school is hoping for but can’t do, but the parent will still be clueless and both of them will forevermore be the least cooperative people in the school system. Easy to berate novel ideas. So what do you suggest that is better? ---
**Author:** ![trupa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@trupa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trupa)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novel-punishment-for-misbehaving-in-school/279674/27 "2004-12-15T23:13:05Z")
> [@The 27th Evil](#): > > I do believe Dave Barry said the bast discipline was having their parents sing Copacabana in front of the class. > > Snerk. LOL! 😃 I’d do it in a heartbeet if necessary! Perhaps wearing a hat with fruit on it or something like that… I can imagine the little offender just wilting and wanting to die right there… The older I get, the more I realise that judicious embarassment can be a good thing for kids and teens. walks away chuckling…Her name was Lola, Lola Falana… She worked the Copa… Copacabaaaaaaaana… ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novel-punishment-for-misbehaving-in-school/279674/28 "2004-12-15T23:13:43Z")
I swear the following is true: In my high school, we had an indoor pool, but the locker rooms were small so there was no space to put wet swim suits. Thus, the boys had to swim in the nude. (Girls had to share these “one suit fits all” things that they hated.) And no, they were NOT coed classes, although there was the time the class bell didn’t ring and the girls’ class was about to come into the pool area, but that is another story. At any rate, if during the swim class a boy got, uh, “excited” so to speak, the coach would make him stand on the diving board until the, uh, the excitement passed, so to speak. I think that ranks pretty high as far as novel punishment. I swear it is true. ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novel-punishment-for-misbehaving-in-school/279674/29 "2004-12-16T14:33:31Z")
> [@phall0106](#): > > That reminds me of when I was a kid, in about fourth grade–Sister Ludmillia kept threatening me when I would turn around and talk to Patrick M. He was cute as a button, smart as a whip and I simply loved talking to him. (He did his own fair share of talking as well.) One day, Sister Ludmillia said, “If you turn around one more time to talk, you’ll be sorry.” That lasted for about…two minutes, max. There I was, turned around, talking to Patrick. “Okay!” Sister Ludmillia screeched, “Then just sit on his desk!” Oh, boy. Wrong thing to say to me. Sitting on Patrick’s desk, I had his undivided attention, and although it only lasted about two seconds at the most, I was in heaven. No, not humiliated, as Sister Ludmillia may have predicted, but thrilled, simply thrilled. And, no, it didn’t keep me from talking in the future. > > However, I still have wild thoughts of sitting in front of Patrick M. in my Catholic school girl uniform–only now my thoughts are something akin to a heavy metal rock video and Patrick M. is nekkid. 😃 > > _It does seem weird thanking a Catholic nun as the inspiration for a wild sex fantasy._ This is definately a deviation from the OP and probably deserves a new thread, but I’m really too upset to do that. I just found out this morning that Patrick M., the guy I mentioned only a few days ago on the board, died in July 2004. He lived about four hours away from me, and I never knew it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novel-punishment-for-misbehaving-in-school/279674.md?page=1)