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[26 January 2013] - In a sixth-grade class at a Lebanon elementary school, a student told a mischievous joke, garnering some laughs from his classmates. The teacher, angry, approached one of the giggling classmates, an 11-year-old girl named Jinan; she slapped her, leaving a red welt across the student’s cheek. Jinan’s story is not unique. A teenage student named Jawad faced a similar brand of tough punishment when, after smiling and greeting people through a window that overlooks a corridor, his math teacher slapped him. It just so happened that Jawad’s mother was at the school that day. Enraged, she entered the classroom and argued with the teacher. Jawad’s mother believes that corporal punishment is a mark of a teacher’s weakness. A teacher who engages in corporal punishment is one who can only control his or her classroom through force. Jinan’s mother responded differently. “You must have laughed a lot in order for the teacher to choose to slap you. She has a point – none of you will dare laugh in her class again.” Maria Semaan, an activist in the Enough Violence and Abuse association, said, “It is unacceptable for children to be subjected to abuse in their homes, so why would it be acceptable in school? The Lebanese law allows a guardian to discipline a child in accordance with the general custom. But what is the general custom and who defines it?” Semaan referred to a Lebanese decree that prohibits corporal punishment in schools, but nevertheless, physical punishment continues and school administrations do not hold teachers accountable. Psychologist Patricia Daher said that many of today’s teachers grew up in classrooms where corporal punishment was commonplace. She added that the teacher should not take what students “say or do personally.” Despite the prevalence of other, more effective disciplinary methods – such as reporting a child’s behavior to his or her parents or, in more serious cases, expulsion – corporal punishment continues to be widespread. The question remains as to why some students face this type of punishment and what are school administrations doing about it? Further Information: