Dear Editor,
As the letter stated, it is a known fact that violence, of any kind, breeds further violence.
It is also a known fact and my personal experience, that there are many, many strategies and techniques to handle discipline that work more effectively than corporal punishment.
As a teacher in New York, I have used these strategies and techniques to not only effectively manage my classrooms but to help curb violent tendencies among other students. Thus not only do I speak with the firm conviction of knowledge but also of practical experience when I say that banning corporal punishment from schools in Guyana would reduce rather than increase violence in schools.
Of course it goes without saying that teachers would have to be trained in non-corporal disciplinary strategies and classroom management techniques that do not incorporate corporal punishment.
Yours faithfully,
Annan Boodram
