Children are rude to teachers because we, as a society, have told children that they have the "right" to do so. Parents freak out when children are in trouble at school and more often than not, deny their child is capable of such a thing. When teachers do try to progress to a punishment phase, they're again told they shouldn't....either by management or via lawsuits, police charges, etc etc etc. I don't believe that teachers should beat kids, but I don't think that putting them in time-out or not letting them on school trips due to bad behaviour is wrong either. Holding an entire class responsible for the behaviour of one child just brings everyone down to the lowest denominator and that's not fair. There are times when it would be appropriate (ie: Who threw that pencil?) but not ALL the time, because usually the kid who's misbehaving in class is beating on the other kids during recess anyway. There will always be troublemakers, but they shouldn't infringe upon the rights of the students who are actually behaving. Peer pressure is much-touted, but really only works on a grander scale, or on a micro-scale. The class bully isn't going to care if the class geek gives him/her the cold shoulder. He/she is getting what they want...the attention and admiration of the few they care about.

Expelling them doesn't work well either, because it just gives them a holiday from the place they don't like to go to anyway. It comes down to punishment. Like Dr. Phil says, "find their currency" and turn the screws. And let teachers do their jobs....quit tying their hands by making them please every parent of every kid at the entire school. Teachers are being abused by the students and by the parents. If the parents don't like it, they can take their kid elsewhere. When they run out of schools willing to accept their beautiful , delicate ittle brat, they may have another view of the situation.

As a society we seem to think that kids can't think...and as a mother I can tell you they think and quite often much more deviously than we give them credit for. I don't think we have to punish them for the rest of their lives, but if they get away with doing that sort of stuff to teachers, just how well do we think they'll do in the work force? How many bosses will tolerate that kind of behaviour? Teach the kids right and wrong when they're young enough to change their ways! THIS is not rocket science.