I have relatives who work for a couple of school districts, and let me tell you, teachers are not all they should be these days. Some of them are in the profession, not for love of children, but for power over someone. Or because they could not succeed at anything else. Regardless, I don't trust their judgement enough to hit my child. Of course, they should have some methods of discipline, loss of activities, extra homework, and, most importantly, open communication with parents.
Hey, watch it there. As an English teacher, I don't observe this trend at all. Sure, there are some teachers who are bloated dead weights, and one wonders why they do what they do, but this, in my experience is rare. And I seriously resent the idea that people become teachers because they "could not succeed at anything else." Teaching is a very difficult thing to do well; more than a skill, it's a lifestyle, and certainly it's not something one does because one is underqualified, uninspired, unintelligent, or unsuccessful in life.
I spent 6 years getting degrees in my subject area and I know more about what I teach than I'll ever be able to use on the high school level, and I'll owe more in college loans than I'll ever be able to pay back on my salary. But I love what I do, and I consider it very important, and that's why I'm a teacher -- it seemed a more meaningful professional choice than fading into the esoteric world of literary research. I don't know any teachers who feel otherwise, and I don't think that's because I work in some exceptional school district.
I agree with you that, as a parent, I wouldn't trust teachers or other adults with the administration of discipline in the form of spanking. But it's not necessary to put down the whole lot of teachers ("teachers are not all they should be these days") to make that point. I know you probably didn't mean to generalize that much, but it sure sounded like you were.
Dedalus
