One important stage in a child’s growth is certainly the development of a conscience, which is linked to the ability to tell right from wrong. This skill comes with time and good parenting, and my firm conviction is that punishment does not have much of a role to play in this. Therefore, I have to disagree almost entirely with the given statement.
To some extent the question depends on the age of the child. To punish a very young child is both wrong and foolish, as an infant will not understand what is happening or why he or she is being punished. Once the age of reason is reached, however, a child can be rewarded for good behaviour and discouraged from bad. This kind but firm approach will achieve more than harsh punishments, which might entail many negative consequences unintended by the parents.
To help a child learn the difference between right and wrong, teachers and parents should firstly provide good role modelling in their own behaviour. After that, if sanctions are needed, the punishment should not be of a physical nature, as that merely sends the message that it is acceptable for larger people to hit smaller ones – an outcome which may well result in the child starting to bully others. Nor should the punishment be in any way cruel.
Rather, teachers and parents can use a variety of methods to discipline their young charges, such as detention, withdrawal of privileges, and time-out. Making the punishment fit the crime is useful notion, which would see children being made to pick up the rubbish they have dropped, clean up graffiti they have drawn, or apologise to someone they have hurt. In these ways, responsibility develops in the child, which leads to much better future behaviour than does the punishment.
One
important
stage in a
child’s
growth is
certainly
the development of a conscience, which
is linked
to the ability to
tell
right from
wrong
. This
skill
comes
with time and
good
parenting, and my firm conviction is that
punishment
does not have much of a role to play in this.
Therefore
, I
have to
disagree almost
entirely
with the
given
statement.
To
some
extent the question depends on the age of the
child
. To punish a
very
young
child
is both
wrong
and foolish, as an infant will not understand what is happening or why he or she is
being punished
. Once the age of reason
is reached
,
however
, a
child
can
be rewarded
for
good
behaviour
and discouraged from
bad
. This kind
but
firm approach will achieve more than harsh
punishments
, which might entail
many
negative
consequences unintended by the parents.
To
help
a
child
learn the difference between right and
wrong
, teachers and parents should
firstly
provide
good
role modelling in their
own
behaviour
. After that, if sanctions
are needed
, the
punishment
should not be of a physical nature, as that
merely
sends
the message that it is acceptable for larger
people
to hit smaller ones
–
an outcome which may well result in the
child
starting to bully others. Nor should the
punishment
be in any way cruel.
Rather
, teachers and parents can
use
a variety of methods to discipline their young charges, such as detention, withdrawal of privileges, and time-out. Making the
punishment
fit the crime is useful notion, which would
see
children
being made
to pick up the rubbish they have dropped, clean up graffiti they have drawn, or
apologise
to someone they have hurt. In these ways, responsibility develops in the
child
, which leads
to
much better future
behaviour
than does the
punishment
.