Perfect inspiration for a spanking story

Can be found at:
http://madamethursday.tumblr.com/post/11196163152/image-a-motivational-poster-style-m acro

Basically: A boy gets a note sent home for contradicting his teacher in class. All of the other students accepted what the teacher was saying, but one boy kept insisting that a kilometer wasn't larger than a mile. As such the boy will get detention. It ends with:
Although he was correct, Alex's action show a blatant disrespect for authority, and a complete lack of respect for his school. In the future, Alex would be better off simply accepting my teachings without resistance.

Please see to it that your son understands this.
---

No, there's no spanking there, but it shows the small mindedness of someone who would punish a kid for being right in a disrespectful way.

Goodgulf

In eighth grade I had a math teacher who decided on Friday to preview the next week's lesson by a quick introduction to the Base 12 numbering system we'd be studying (rather than our usual Base 10). To accommodate this system, two extra 'numerals' wold be introduced - an 'E' for eleven and a 'T' for twelve. I immediately raised my hand (something I was never accustomed to doing, either before or since) to ask if she didn't mean a 'T' for ten and an 'E' for eleven. Oh, no, she insisted (in what I considered a very condescending tone), it was 'E' for eleven and 'Twelve,' for twelve because, after all, it was base 12.

Come the next Monday, she once again introduced this base 12 numbering system, correctly identifying the numerals 'T' for ten, 'E' for eleven, and never once mentioning that I had been right the previous Friday. [none of my classmates noticed of remembered either, despite the fact we were all in supposedly the brightest eight grade section). I inherently knew that it would NOT have been a good idea to press the point on Friday (even when I never doubted myself), or to remind her of her error on Monday when she didn't do so herself.

Same basic situation, but with a different outcome, due to my being so much better attuned to the expectations of the Grown-Up in the room.

Of course, a mere 44 years later now, I've nearly forgotten the entire episode (as you can plainly see).

Well, saying she was lying wasn't the smartest thing to do, but if I were the parent, I would speak to the principal and have him/her speak to the teacher as well. If you're going to teach, teach correctly. Get your information to the students correct. I do agree that a punishment would be acceptable.

There are too many tin pot dictators in school rooms. To many "I'm right especially when I'm wrong" types that shouldn't be allow to pollute young minds.

Goodgulf

Did the kid do that, or did the kid just say: "but that's not true. The textbook says..."
"So are you calling me a liar?"
"But everyone can read it there on page 34..."
"So you are calling me a liar and trying to get the whole class against me! Detention you! Anyone else want to contradict me?"

With that sort of exchange translating into calling his teacher a liar and attempting an insurrection. Yes, I've have known a few idiots who have been in positions of authority who treat an exchange like that and would late honestly believe their view of the exchange was what happened.

Goodgulf

I had my own similar experience with a fifth-grade teacher. When I pointed out a discrepancy between the history book and what she had said in class, she said angrily, "You can argue with that book, boy; but don't you argue with me!" (And that is just ONE of the problems I had with her.) I think that was the last time I ever attempted to participate in any school class discussion. I hope the bitch rots in hell. Similar to njrick, after 47 years, I've nearly totally forgotten the episode.

Well, I've dealt with this issue myself from the other side of the teacher's desk, and I'd venture that a teacher should simply ask a student challenging his/her statements to produce his/her evidence--assuming that it's a question of factuality rather than individual interpretation. (My experience is that a teacher won't lose the respect of his/her students by admitting to be wrong on rare occasions--as long as they are indeed very infrequent ones.)

Of course, there were occasions when I truthfully told students that their textbook was in error--and IIRC there were never any challenges to those assertions on my part.

Punishing a student for being correct, that makes no sense to me. IMHO it would be a 'teachable moment,' if accused of outright lying, for a teacher to point out the difference between being sincerely mistaken and intentionally making false statements... --C.K.

Things like that are why I have a problem with corporal punishment being reintroduced to schools. We'd wind up going back to the days when left handed kids were caned for using their natural hand.

Often teachers get really upset when they are corrected in class as they "lose face". The best way to point out a teacher's mistake is to stay after class and point out the error in a non-confrontational way. "I am confused because..." Once the teacher sees the error he/she will usually correct it in class the next day.

Of course that takes the fun out of making the teacher look bad.

Surely an experienced teacher would not feel his (or her) dignity impaired by a genuine mistake being pointed out. All he (or she) has to say is something to the effect: "Well done Tiptopper! I deliberately made that mistake to see if you were all awake, and you were the only one to spot it!"

One of my teachers would often say: (for example) "The battle of Waterloo was fought in 1812, and when I say that I really mean 1815!"