Cronin: The ‘gentle touch’ of discipline

Earlier this month, you may have seen television coverage regarding the Texas high school teacher who was arrested for assaulting one of her students, slapping him on the top of the head and then mocking his response, “Why you did this?” Her name is Mary Hastings and she is a 63-year-old geometry teacher at Ozen High School in Beaumont, Texas.

Needless to say, the response has been outrage. People are demanding the teacher be fired and charged with assault. She was subsequently released from jail on a $2,500 bond and is currently on paid administrative leave.

There is apparently no federal law specifically prohibiting corporal punishment in schools, although no school district anywhere in the nation may employ “cruel and unusual punishment” in violation of the Eighth Amendment. Rightfully so. Most states, including California, prohibit corporal punishment altogether in public schools. While Texas law does permit corporal punishment under certain conditions, Mary Hastings’ behavior was ultimately deemed unacceptable. According to the Beaumont Independent School District spokeswoman, “BISD does not condone employees abusing any child and will not tolerate such conduct.”

According to a joint Human Rights Watch/ACLU report on corporal punishment in schools, students “may suffer serious physical injury and mental trauma. Studies show that beatings can damage the trust between educator and student, corrode the educational environment, and leave the student unable to learn effectively, making it more likely that she will drop out of school.” This is what the experts tell us.

My own experience with corporal punishment in school was somewhat different. I went to a Catholic high school in the 1970s with a bunch of rambunctious Italian and Irish boys from the cities and towns north of Boston. For us, the occasional application of corporal punishment, that “gentle touch” of discipline, was simply a part of the core curriculum.

I recall one day I threw something at another boy, striking him in the eye. Unfortunately for me, I never saw the good padre standing directly behind. Before I knew what happened, I was out of the chair and onto the floor. Picking me up by the lapels, he braced me up against a wall, stuck a fist in my face, and said, “Mister Cronin. How would you like a nice Hawaiian punch?” It was a great line from an old TV commercial. “Thanks Father,” I answered, “but some other time, if you don’t mind.” He smiled, tapped my face gently, and said “Good! Don’t do that again, understand?” I understood.

Or another day in class where I was caught cutting up. “Mister Cronin! Are you here to learn,” the friar demanded, “or just waste everybody’s time?” Now, I was what was known as a “smart aleck” in the vernacular of the day. “Actually Brother, I was hoping to do a little bit of both.” Wrong answer. Bang! Back on the floor again. I eventually learned.

The point is this: None of us were traumatized. We lost no trust in our teachers, nor did it prevent any of us from learning effectively. It was neither cruel nor excessive. On the contrary. We became better scholars and better behaved young men. I went from academic probation to honor roll student. I credit the “gentle touch” for that.

And what is to become of Mary Hastings, the ex-geometry teacher from Beaumont, Texas? Ultimately, that will be up to the trier of fact. I for one wish her well.

And her smirking little class disruptor who learned all the wrong lessons from this experience? He is just going to have to learn to discipline himself. Good luck with that.

Cronin is a Poway resident and the assistant police chief at MCAS Miramar. Readers comments, through letters to the editor or online at PomeradoNews.com. are encouraged.