I was asked by a journalist, "Why does Central Queensland Christian College use corporal correction while some people say it is a form of abuse?"

This was my response:

Gone are the days of a mean-spirited headmaster, ready to strike an unsuspecting child for the smallest infringement, ruling with a spirit of fear and intimidation. The atmosphere in our school is completely opposite. There is a culture of grace and love where students want to do good things and are encouraged to do so. Our staff members care deeply for the well-being of each student and work tirelessly for their best. We have built the school on a foundation of respect. Students are respected as people and we try to treat them in the same manner that we ourselves would like to be treated.

We are here to help students find the right direction in life. If someone is going the wrong direction, a direction that could ultimately ruin their life, the most caring thing we can do is provide a suitable boundary to help direct them the right way. We provide warnings. We provide ‘time out’, removing the student from the situation, giving them time to cool down and think about what they are doing. We talk to parents about what’s going on and work with them to build strategies for success. If the child’s behaviour still remains unchanged, we then talk about the use of physical discipline.

Normally this is never needed, but sometimes there are children who are looking for the boundaries in life and will push and push until they find them. When they have that “ouch” moment physically, they know they’re going the wrong way.

When using physical discipline, we take time to express our care for the child and provide reassurance afterwards. We also have a culture of forgiveness. When a child says they are sorry for what they have done we forgive, forget and move on. We don’t leave students feeling like they are in the bad books. Instead we keep things positive and move on with encouragement.

We believe that neglecting to provide suitable boundaries for students does them a disservice. They miss out on the building of character which is essential for their future and they are distracted from learning – the reason they come to school in the first place.

We always seek to work closely with parents. They have chosen us to represent them to their child and have delegated their authority to us. We take this responsibility very seriously and care for students accordingly.

If the government moved to change the laws regarding this, I believe that parents would be disappointed. When physical discipline is removed from a school, the Principal is forced to issue a suspension instead. While this solves the school’s problem temporarily, it doesn’t necessarily bring the student to a point of accepting responsibility for what they have done. We find that parents are looking for a school that is consistent with their own values and will partner with them in raising their children. We believe that the suspension system does not serve children or parents well.

I can assure the public that we are not abusing children. No one who has visited our school would even suggest it. The atmosphere here speaks for itself.

We in no way defend the bad schooling experiences people may have had in the past. I feel very sorry for anyone who has suffered abuse at school. We have learnt from the past and things are very different now.

Child Psychologist, James Dobson has written extensively on this topic and provides parents with sound advice on the appropriate use of physical discipline in the raising of children.

If someone disagrees with the use of phyiscal discipline, they are welcome to choose a school that does not use it. Here, we seek to work closely with parents and are only representing the parent with the authority that has been delegated to us.

The article has appeared in the Courier Mail

Discussion of the article appeared on Sunrise: video - soapbox