TIPSters, The question of spanking comes up one way or another almost every year in my classes. What I try to do is to have students think about how much it is related to education and the way each one of us may be biased in such matter: either by reproducing what we have experienced (the usual argument is I got spanked, look how I survived it so it not that much of a big deal) or by conterreacting (I got spanked, and it left psychological scars, so I'll never impose it on my children). Then we move onto the issue of violence, and what we learn/teach when the only message in response to -let's say disobedience or non-accepted behavior- is spanking. It's also a good intro to some experiments in learning (reinforcement) and motivation (extrinsic vs intrinsic). Also, it is always interesting to see how they suddenly realise how often spanking is a response to a sense of powerlessness and frustration. Have a nice holiday all Philippe Gervaix Switzerland ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com
