So in tomorrow (actually, looking at the post-midnight clock, this) evening’s scene, Emily is the editor of the student newspaper. Here’s the Editorial she published in the latest edition:
Corporal punishment: a fact of life or abuse?
It is an accepted fact of life that all pupils at this establishment will be subject to corporal punishment for misbehaviour. Pupils are compelled to accept, without question, discipline from the headmaster, teachers, and prefects. Since the start of this academic year, however, it has also been an accepted fact of life that any girl summoned to the head prefect’s study for correction will be subject to unduly harsh and sadistic treatment.
There have been many studies, both in the United States and in this country, that suggest corporal punishment is an ineffective method of discipline and damages those it seeks to correct. We can only extrapolate how much worse the long-term consequences may be for pupils subjected to our head prefect’s particular brand of justice.
Allegations abound as to the methods he uses; more than one girl has reported the use of excessive force, intimidation amounting perhaps to bullying, and other situations involving dubious consent: far overstepping the mark of what may be considered reasonable chastisement. Such is the power wielded by the whole prefect team, ably led and encouraged by the head prefect, in their sadistic rule of terror, most girls are afraid to speak out, until now.
As well as the actions of the prefects, the judgement of the Headmaster must also be called into question for his appointment. While there is clearly a need to maintain proper discipline within any establishment, this paper argues that a justice system should be built on fairness and compassion, rather than sadism and fear. Anyone can make a mistake, but it is surely the mark of a good leader to be able to correct and learn from them.
Arguments will continue to rage about the efficacy and appropriateness of the use of corporal punishment in school, but there can be no doubt that the headmaster has made a poor appointment as his head prefect.
She’ll be discussing it with the headmaster (and, later, the head prefect). I almost feel sorry for her. Actually, no, cancel that: I do feel sorry for her…
What amuses me is the fact that the Editorial she sent through contained a second item, irrelevant to the scene but making me laugh:
Lacrosse “easy to manipulate”
This week we learned of two lacrosse players from the school first XII banned over match-fixing allegations. This school has a proud sporting tradition and lacrosse has over the years had a competitive and longstanding rivalry with some of our closest neighbouring schools.
The matches in question are those against fierce local rivals North Western College for Girls, in which a number of players were sent off and the team scored a series of bizarre own goals, and yet still contrived to win.
This paper condemns the erosion of the school’s sporting heritage by the actions of a small number of individuals.
I rather suspect someone wants to be a lacrosse player, too…!