School discipline has changed drastically over the past 40 years. Even though the rules have changed, the way it operates has not. According to retired Madison Middle School principal, Tom Best, “The circumstances today are a little bit different for students than they were 25-30 years ago… things are not stagnant, they always change.”

Many different philosophies concerning school punishments have been used throughout the years. However, they all revolve around the same concept. North Platte High School principal, James Ayres agreed with the concept strongly, “Treating people how you would like to be treated.”

Ayres believes in using dignity and respect while dealing with students. Ayres said, “Even though a kid has made a mistake, we are trying to teach them a lesson.” Best believes that school discipline is about being involved with the student and it’s just not yourself. Civics and Economics teacher, Brooks Greene, goes for a more relaxed approach and gives his pupils options. Greene said, “I try to treat most students with a human level of respect… we are in the same room with the same goals.” Best said, “Overall everyone involved has to be honest, truthful, and sincere.”  For the educational system to operate successfully, everyone has to work as a team. The students, teachers, and administration have to be willing to appreciate one another.

Though Best has been retired for 18 years, he believes that the philosophy used when he taught students would be just as effective for today, as it was back then. Best said, “I believed that what I was doing was for the benefit of the students.”

Junior English teacher, Ashley Werkmeister, emphasized on the student’s role in their own education. She said, “Their attitudes play a huge role in their education. As teachers, I feel it is our responsibility to provide the framework to ensure their success, but it is ultimately up to them to put forth the effort in becoming the best they can be.”

Corporal punishment was intended to cause physical pain on a person. This type of punishment was part of school discipline back then. It was thought to straighten out students that would cause conflict in the classroom. Best used corporal punishment before, but he did not agree with it. He said, “It was not one of the things that changed people’s minds… There is a lot of different ways to handle it.” Junior Kaidyn Dieter thinks that it wasn’t that big of a deal. He said, “Nowadays, kids don’t listen because of not having corporal punishment, but there should be an extent the how far they can go.” However, Sophomore Nirvana Mendoza feels that corporal punishment should never be brought back, because it is unusual and cruel. She said, “Even though it would be fun to see people get paddled, I would be deathly afraid to talk in class.”

Punishment can be handled in an endless list of approaches and environments. There are different ways to treat all genres of people. You discipline your children differently than you would your employees. You discipline your dog differently than your players. Having that in mind, how should NPHS teachers and administrators discipline their students?