I know the Daily Mail is a sleazy and low quality paper, but the headlines come up on Yahoo and I feel the urge to click occasionally. Anyway, this article interested me somewhat.

We will hand power to restrain unruly pupils back to the teachers, say Tories | Mail Online

I teach in a culture where the teacher is king and it is not unusual for students to feel the force of a stick. I don't use force myself and have never hit a student, but I do throw them out sometimes and shout at them. But that is usually enough, I leave the physical abuse to the Koreans who seem to quite enjoy all that. On a certain level I think corporal punishment is a bit shitty, but on the other hand I think it can be very effective as a last resort.

In the UK teachers have no power whatsoever. I cannot believe that 2/3rds of teachers have considered quitting because of threats. I have never been threatened by a student and I could never imagine a student doing that to me. I would never have threatened a teacher as a kid either. It's nuts. When I was at school a boy punched the deputy-head square on the nose and was back at school within a month! He was eventually expelled, but it took a long time. I think he is probably dealing drugs now (steady tax free employment, I guess). I have no idea how teachers cope in some of the more problematic inner city areas.

I think the Tory proposals are actually quite fair and might do something to stop the behavioural rot that has occured in British schools, but it probably doesn't go far enough. Some of these kids are the offspring of devils. I would actually go as far as bringing in corporal punishment as a last resort too. It's used too much out here, but on the whole kids don't seem to be as behaviourally challenged as in the UK. I like teaching a lot, but would never teach British kids.

Should teachers be able to do more to control the unruly rabble of the classroom?