perseuasive essay

Knowledge is power. That one saying is one of the truest statements there is. You need knowledge and education in order to prosper in life. Not having an education requires you to throw your life and future away. Schools around the country are trying to decide whether they should institute a harsh discipline policy, or continue to allow students to have punishments every school should have. For the betterment of our children, all schools in our country should require punishments that do not affect their students' education. Having punishments that do not affect a student's education is a good idea because if not, the students will never learn and better their education, the students will have bad influences, and the students will barely have social interactions with their classmates. Clearly, having harsh discipline policies are not the right fit for our schools and something should be done about it! All schools in our country should enforce punishments that do not affect their students’ education. If that is not done, their students will never learn and better their education. For example, students at Jackson Public School District’s Capital City Alternative School have been disciplined by being handcuffed to a railing for minor infractions such as not wearing a belt, wearing mismatched shoelaces, or greeting their friend too loud in the hallway. This illustrates how cruel people are when there are always better practices to follow to punish a student. The school system of Mobile County, Alabama, violated the constitutional rights of students ages 13 to 18 by suspending them for 11 days or until the end of the semester for minor misbehavior such as un-tucked shirts, tardiness, or failing to carry a school ID. This illustrates how much school a student can miss because of a little mistake. Missing that much school can really affect your education and doesn’t help your future whatsoever. A 10th grader male from Hinds County School district was expelled for throwing a penny at his school bus driver. He was a good student who dreamed of a collegiate basketball scholarship. Even though he did not actually throw the penny, he now spends half of his classes taught by teachers and the other half on the computer that teaches the rest of his classes. This illustrates how one very bright future can be thrown away because of one accusation and penny. Students are in the young age where they make mistakes and need to learn because if they do not, they will make bad decisions in life and throw away their bright future. All schools in our country should enforce punishments that do not affect their students’ education because if not, the students will have bad influences. For example, Adam Lanza, the gunman at Sandy Hook Elementary School, supposedly played violent video games, which may have caused him to hurt the children. This illustrates how much something you might use every day can lead you to very bad decisions. If the teachers are showing students it is “okay” to create punishments like long-term punishments, the students will most likely inherit that land. In the article, “Dismissal of Teachers,” from the New York Times, it states that public school teachers not only educate their students but also provide positive adult role models. This illustrates how much teachers can impact their students on a daily basis and what can happen if a teacher abuses a child. According to http://psychcentral.com/netaddiction/, a website formed by Dr. Kimberly Young, the Internet can really hurt. Although we may think it is useful, it is an influence that can cause you to neglect friends, family, and sleep. This illustrates how everything we touch and see can affect us in many ways, and if the students in schools witness horrible teacher punishments, they might think it is alright to do the same. Students are influenced by their environment, and if they are used to terrifying punishments and decision, they will probably do the same when they get older. All schools in our country should enforce punishments that do not affect their students’ education because if not, the students will barely have social interactions with their classmates. According to “The Social Media,” an article from the New York Times, it is essential to have social interactions when young because if not, later on it could cause depression or bad relationships. This illustrates how social interactions can really affect a person’s life and future. If a student can no longer go to school from suspension, they will just stay home alone, without a friend. In a newspaper article from the New York Times, homeschooling does not offer enough social interactions. This illustrates how if you are homeschooled, it is not the same as regular school where there are many friends and topics to giggle about. Without school because of long-term punishments, students are missing the normal life to grow up in. The article, “A New Risk Factor: Your Social Life,” from the New York Times, new research shows social relationships are just as important to health as other common risk factors like smoking, lack of exercise, or obesity. Numerous studies have suggested that strong socialites are associated with better health and longevity, which are very important. This stresses how important the need for school for students is and how they need friends, family, and others to stay alive. If students do not get the necessary social interactions, they will not have any friends or relationships in the future. The opposition might say these harsh punishments make students earn discipline. However, there are many other ways students can learn discipline and it will not affect their education. The opposition often refers to the fact that discipline means meting out. But often the punishments teachers use end up reinforcing the bad behavior instead of correcting it. They also say that spanking will make the child stop because they do not want to be spanked again. But, children who are spanked are more likely to develop depression, anxiety, and even thoughts of suicide, not to mention antisocial behavior that can lead to difficult relationships as adults. The enemies of education may say that the harsh punishments will make the students realize what they have done wrong and will prevent the mistake from happening again. But, there is not a single study that shows student behavior gets better over time. The more they are around these punishments, the more aggressive they become. There is no real proof that making students miss school can improve their discipline. Students will never learn and grow their thinking, will have horrible and torturous influences, and will have very difficult relationships as adults if they have punishments that affect their education. For our children and for the future, all schools in our country should enforce punishments that do not affect students’ education. Education is like a skyscraper, it is built level to level. Harsh discipline punishments would instead make it a tall building with a weak body and it will eventually fall. Don’t make our children live in a world with falling buildings – oppose harsh school discipline punishments!