Interview 3

After my initial email to person three, I received the following:
J:
Dear B,

You must forgive me but it will take me some time to answer these questions due to my busy schedule. I scanned through it however and it shouldn't be a problem to help you out on this issue. To be perfectly honest, the way you composed this message seems like a machine is behind this no offense. It's just that I've had a number of messages like this before and they turned out to be phony. If you could somehow prove to me you are a truly concerned human being I would appreciate that. I hope you don't have a time frame for this project but let me know if you need my answers by a certain date. I await your response, and you're welcome for my promptness on my previous message. I would also like to let you know I am a proud graduate of Chamberlain-Hunt Academy and even though I disagreed with a few things the administration was responsible for, I would back up the academy any day. I am grateful for what the school taught me in many aspects and for the lifetime friendships I gained. I will be in touch. Thank you.

Sincerely,
J

I responded with the following:
Hi J,
Yes, I understand that my message is slightly robotic. I assure you that I am a real person and that it is not an automatically generated message. The reasons the message may seem like its created by a machine are, I have to do this for a class. I am trying to become a teacher and one of my classes forces us to do a research paper that requires a survey. It has to be about current educational issues. A lot of people are doing class size or uniforms. I think those topics are a little bit boring, so I picked something that nobody else is doing. Corporal punishment is still legal in schools in about 50% of the US states. Some schools swear by it, while others are adamently against. It's a controversial issue. I think it's only fair to ask the opinions of people who have experienced it. It's all very well to condemn it if you never went through it, but I"m interested in what people think of it if they have had it.

Another reason the language of the survey is so stilted is because I have to turn that in to my professor as part of the paper and it cannot be biased or leading. Also, I have sent the same message to everyone I am surveying for my own ease. So its a copy-paste job. Sorry. However, that does not mean that I am not truly interested in getting genuine responses. I need as many responses as possible to make a truly informed thesis for my paper.

Ideally, I'd love to just have an open conversation about individual's experiences and thoughts about corporal punishment in schools, but it needs to be regimented and quantifiable for the purposes of class. I'm hoping that people really take advantage of question 20 and really just share their ideas and opinions.

I appreciate your positive comments about Chamberlain-Hunt. I realize that corporal punishment is just one facet of the school. It is not my intention to paint your school or any others in a bad light. I am trying to remain unbiased in this project. You have my guarantee that I will not distort my results to make your school or any others look bad. For all i know, my thesis may end up being that corporal punishment is the way forward.

About deadlines, my paper is due before Christmas break. Obviously, the results should be in before then. If you have any suggestions for changes in my survey itself, those would be great as I need to turn that in in about two weeks. Also, it will affect my other surveys. Other than that, I understand that people have busy lives and I appreciate anyone taking the time to do this.

I hope this answers all your questions. Please do keep in touch.

All the best,
B

Ok, by now, I think you know the format:

1. Did you receive corporal punishment whilst growing up?
J: Yes, when I was younger my mom or dad would "spank" me with this homemade spanking stick made from two hot glue gun sticks.

2. If so, do you feel that corporal punishment worked for you? What sort of effects, if any, did it have on your behavior?
J: it didn't ever hurt, but i guess being nine and under it made an impression on me, that I should obey them and not do the wrong thing. I think it was the right thing at the time because nothing else would have made me think twice about what i did

3. Do you feel that corporal punishment was the best punitive option for you, or might other forms of punishment have worked better?
J: I think it was the best option because like i said, i don't think anything would have made an impression on me more. I hated getting a "spanking" but it was pretty rare i got them. I had to do something pretty bad, like talk back to my parents a lot or break something when i knew better or whatever. Honestly, it's been a while so it's kinda hard to remember. I do know that when I got taller than my mom it quickly ended.

4. How frequently did you experience corporal punishment at home or at school (rarely, monthly, weekly, etc.)?
J: At home, like I said rarely, but at this school whenever you did something really bad you would get "licks" which were paddles, normally three, with what resembles a cricket bat, but thinner.

5. Under what circumstances was corporal punishment administered? (For all offences, only major offences, etc.)
J: Only major offenses it would be major offenses, unless you were on academic profile, having less than a 2.0 If you failed a quiz or test or didn't do your homework you would get a lick or two maybe three. It always depended.

6. Do you feel that embarrassment or humiliation played a part in these punishments? Or was it strictly the infliction of pain?
J: Yes at first it was a little humiliating but then it became just "a pain in the ass" haha literally and also you just hated going and receiving them. Especially it would depend on which colonel would give you licks. There were only two men my last year that would administer them and it depended if they were really trying to get the point across to you that you shoudn't do this again, or they were just pissed because you did it or whatever.

7. Did you feel fear toward those who administered the punishments (before, during, after, always, etc.)
J: No never fear, maybe in the regards that it might hurt pretty bad because you knew you were giving tattoos to someone or you were smoking in the dorms or whatever. it always depended.

8. Where did you receive corporal punishment (at home, school, etc.) Do you feel that it was appropriate in these locations?
J: At school, and when I was a little kid at home, and yes and no about it being appropiate at school, I didn't really agree with it because essentially they are strangers and all that, but I think it's because of our opinions have changed. For example, this kind of thing was completly acceptable up until the 60's in some schools, but now we think it's just "wrong" A point to note, is that before a potential student would be accepted to CHA, the parents and student would sign a statement saying you were "ok" with corporal punishment.

9. On what portion(s) of your anatomy was corporal punishment administered? Was clothing removed or left in place during punishments? If clothing was removed, did you feel that this was appropriate?
J: Always the rear end "your bottom" never anywhere else, and yes clothing was always on lol.

10. What implements (if any) were used? (Paddle, belt, etc.) Did you feel that these were appropriate?
J: A paddle was used, and yes I guess it was appropiate versus anything else.

11. What positions were you required to adopt for the punishment (over a knee, bent over, etc.)? Did you feel that this position was appropriate?
J: Yes they made you bend over slightly and grab the corners of the desk in this one office. By the way, getting licks, was called going to "The Porch" because you would normally stand on this porch area and wait til' they told you to come in.

12. From whom did you receive corporal punishment? (Parents, teachers, etc.)
J: The colonels were the only ones allowed to give licks, and there were two my last year, three the other couple years I attended.

13. Did you ever feel that punishments were abusive or inappropriate?
J: No not abusive, sometimes inappropiate for the reasoning, but it always depended.

14. Would you use corporal punishment on your children or encourage others to use it on them?
J: I don't know yet, personally I would want to be the only one administering it at least until a certain age, but I think other forms of discipline should be brought up first, only refrain to corporal punishment if they were deliberatly disobedient over and over again, without care for what they did wrong.

15. Between what ages did you receive corporal punishment? Did you receive it more so at certain ages? Did the degree or style of punishment alter with age?
J: Well at the school it was 7th grade to 12th and anyone was subject to "licks" of course but when i was younger i would say age 5 to 9 or 10. I would have to ask my mom and dad haha.

16. Did punishments ever result in marks (redness, welts, stripes, bruises, etc.)?
J: Redness yeah but temporarily. Sometimes kids would have bruises if they were really hard licks because the colonel was pissed and wanted to get the point across, becasue my kids didn't care about licks, so they would continue to mess up and not care.

17. How many swats/strokes/slaps did you generally receive? Did it vary based on the offence?
J: 17. Yes it varied on the offense but normally 3, never more.

18. Did others witness your punishments or were they kept private? Were others aware of your punishments (as in able to hear them taking place or hear about them through word of mouth)? Was it appropriate that others saw/heard/knew about these punishments?
J: Yes they would have one witness, normally someone who worked in the office. Yes everyone knew through word of mouth or if they were on the porch as well.

19. Did you witness/hear about others being punished? Did you feel it was appropriate, if so? How did you find out about others' punishments?
J: Yeah we all knew or saw others getting licks if we were on the porch. It was fine i don't consider that inappropiate.

20. Any additional comments or beliefs that are relevant.
J: I hope that is helpful for now, I will get back to you about no. 20 soon.