American schools like hitting kids

With stories like this, I can't believe this is 2008 and not 1808.

The American school system means a hefty dose of corporal punishment. A lot of school administrators enjoy paddling kids. To them, it's a sport or a comedy routine.

They enjoy it through and through. They smirk and laugh throughout the paddling. I've encountered very few paddlers who didn't. They like coming up with snappy catchphrases to accompany the punishment like, "Pick a brick."

During the 2006-07 school year (the most recent year for which numbers are available), almost a quarter-million American schoolchildren received corporal punishment. Almost one-fourth of them were in Texas.

These usually weren't even for major violations. Quite frequently, prekindergarten students were beaten for petty offenses like chewing gum.

Minor transgressors are probably more likely to get swats than serious troublemakers. It surely seems that way. Cretins like some of my former schoolmates never received an appointment with the hickory dickory stick - but then again, no other form of discipline was ever tried with them either.

Members of Congress have introduced bills that would have in effect outlawed corporal punishment in American public schools. For the life of me, I don't know why these bills never passed. There should be a nationwide ban of paddling.

Until that happens, we're just going to have to rely on brave parents to challenge schools' abuse.

(Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN1931921320080820)