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Is it appropriate to punish younger children in an ESL classroom? I don't think so, the more you punish them, the more they'll be defensive and who would like to be punished? Even adults don’t want punishments so why should we punish kids who are in their developing stage? I think punishment promotes aggression. It can harm your relationship with the kid. He or she will be cold at you, sometimes would hate you and will not want to attend your classes anymore. Whenever you punish a child, it makes him or her angry and defensive. Punishment will disconnect you from your students so you will have less connection to them which in turn will result to less influence. If you punish someone especially at a young age it will traumatized him or her and the tendency is he or she would harbor ill feelings towards English. Why? Every time he'll study or use English the trauma will haunt him. Punishing kids creates more misbehavior according to some research. A study by the journal Pediatrics states that children subjected to such punishments have a higher risk of having mental health problems as adults. I think it's better to discipline your student than punish him or her. According to Strauss and Stewart, corporal punishment is the use of force to cause pain, but not injury, for the purpose of correction or control while according to Holden and Wissow, discipline is the directing of children’s moral, emotional and physical development, helping the children to take responsibility for themselves when they are older. What would be the best way then? I think, the most effective way to teach kids is through modeling. To treat them the way we want them to treat others: with sympathy, empathy and understanding. Kids learn to act aggressively when you punish them. Acknowledge how the child thinks. Think of the reasons what prompted the child to do it? When kids feel that they are understood, they're more able to accept suggestions. After identifying and sympathizing with the kid. Make a bargain. Tell the child in a nice manner, the consequences or outcomes if he or she will continue the act. Another thing, tell him the advantages if he or she will change or stop doing the act. Avoid using negative words such as don’t, can’t, no etc. Subconsciously if people hear negative words such as what I have stated , the tendency is they be in their defense. Instead of not doing it or stopping their act, they would continue to do it and the more you prohibit one person from doing something, the more likely that person would be tempted to do it. Lastly, say yes. Children most of the time, are willing to obey us, if we make the request in a nice manner. In my class, whenever there are kids who misbehave I just stare at them and they will stop. If it wont work then I’ll just refer back to the module about class management. There many ways a teacher can discipline a student and for me punishment is not an option. (Straus and Stewart 1999) (Holden 2002, Wissow 2002)
