ESL Blogs

Question: It is important for children to learn the difference between right and wrong at an early age. Punishment is necessary to help them learn this distinction. What sort of punishment should be allowed to use to teach children?

It is the nature of humans to learn right and wrong from the environment so does a child who develops the sense of good and bad from what he sees. The force or any sort of physical punishment in inculcating him social norms and moral principles will lead him to either frustration or isolation from the society. At this tender age, the child needs as much attention and care as a plant does at its early stage.

It has been observed that most of the schools in Pakistan give corporal punishment to mend the behaviour of children, which demonstrates the incapability of profession teachers who are inducted after scrutiny of professional degrees in which they are trained how to handle the child without being given any punishment. Physical beating is, by no mean, convenient to develop and flourish his cognitive skill.

I am of the opinion that penalties like redoubling the home work or engaging him in constructive activities as form of punishment can make him him feel remorse for this bad behaviour while doing so he may also test the result as reward of good action. Besides, facial expression are also an appropriate  source of educating the children the distinction of right and wrong. Hence, it develops on how the children are being appreciated or discouraged. For instance, when the child is caught of stealing something, he must either scolded or express reluctance over this act.

In view of aforementioned facts which reveal that the children imitate the elders and senior citizen of the society. In order to build up constructive his personality in acceptance to the standard norms and principles, entire environment of home and schools need to revamped.