Nobody likes doling out punishment and discipline, but sometimes you have to. There are a few that people continue to swear by. They never work, but for some reason, people still believe in them, even though they do nothing aside from annoying others or making the problem worse. Here are fourteen punishments some people defend, even though they don’t work. What’s your opinion on these?
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Taking away recess for bad behavior
Kids need to run around, but in several elementary schools, the younger ones lose recess privileges first when they act up. Ironically, that’s the one thing that might help them relax a little bit. Moving around helps to improve your focus & mood, while taking it away has the exact opposite effect. If anything, it’s only going to cause more bad behavior.
Zero-tolerance suspension for small offenses
You’d think that forgetting your belt wouldn’t get you kicked out of school, yet it does happen. Zero-tolerance rules mean that many students get suspended over harmless stuff. That doesn’t exactly stop them from doing bad things in the future. It simply causes more kids to fall behind or drop out, but some schools swear it keeps things under control.
Keeping pets outside for house-training mistakes
Putting the dog outside after an accident should teach a lesson, yet it doesn’t. It confuses your pup because they live in the moment, and they don’t connect your punishment with what happened 10 minutes earlier. It’s something that animal experts have said forever. But the myth sticks around, and continues to punish pets for something they don’t understand.
Revoking family events as discipline for teens
Whenever a teenager argues or forgets a chore, their parents may respond by calling off the whole weekend trip or birthday plan. It’s a punishment that’s meant to be dramatic in order to make a point, but it often creates resentment instead. It’s completely ineffective in the long term. That’s not enough to stop some parents from enforcing it, even though they really shouldn’t anymore.
Public shaming on employee mistake boards
Being publicly shamed at work isn’t exactly motivating. However, some places allow for it because they think it’ll help prevent more mistakes from happening. The truth is, such behavior kills morale and makes people hide mistakes, rather than fixing them. There’s no place for it anymore, and really, there’s got to be a better way to make people learn.
Writing lines as punishment in schools
Writing something like, “Next time I will not talk in class” 100 times achieves absolutely nothing and teaches kids squat. Rather than reflecting, they just power through this activity, as it’s completely mindless and boring. It’s entirely ineffective at changing behavior. However, some teachers continue to believe the punishment is good for kids. But it’s clearly not.
“Silent lunch” for misbehaving kids
When a teacher catches students talking during class, some will force them to eat lunch in total silence. Completely alone, with no talking or laughs, just them and their sandwich, thinking about their mistakes. But that kind of isolation doesn’t make kids behave better. Instead, it makes them feel awkward & miserable, which certainly isn’t good for their sense of self.
Mandatory essays about bad behavior
In theory, asking a kid to write a 500-word assignment about what they did wrong is a good idea. After all, it should get them to reflect. But honestly, most kids just write what they think the teacher or parent wants to hear when they don’t get any conversation or guidance. It’s more of a chore than an actual lesson to learn from.
Physical drills used as punishment in sports
After a kid messes up a play, the gym coach will often tell them to drop & give them 20. However, using push-ups or laps as a punishment turns exercise into something kids dread, rather than something to be healthy. Some athletic associations have spoken out about it, yet many coaches act as though their students are in military boot camp. It’s completely unfair.
Fines for poor grades in college sports
Speaking of sports, some college sports programs will charge an athlete actual money if their GPA drops too low. This is either through fines or reduced financial aid. The truth is, though, that this adds stress and doesn’t actually lead to better grades. It doesn’t keep students accountable, and it doesn’t teach them anything useful.
Sending kids to bed early as punishment
Sending a rude child to bed early sounds like a good punishment, until you realize the kid’s just lying there. They’re not sleeping, just stewing in their anger, which is why this “punishment” rarely works. In fact, this makes bedtime feel like jail. So why are so many parents still using it to this day?
Banning personal items in prisons
Many people in prison are trying to stay out of trouble & are waiting for their release date. But suddenly, they might lose their only family photo or the one book they actually like because they broke a rule, no matter how small it was. Prisons do this to punish inmates, even though it creates tension by taking away people’s sense of connection.
Cutting employee hours after mistakes
Retail and restaurant workers know all too well what it’s like to have their hours reduced after clocking in late or messing up a shift. It could happen just once, but that’s enough for your scheduled hours to be reduced as a form of punishment. Such a consequence is definitely not effective since people will usually leave the job instead. Are they learning anything from that?
Extra homework assigned as a consequence
Any kids who talk during class are often forced to do an extra worksheet, although it’s not because they need more practice. It’s merely a penalty. The problem is, when you make homework a punishment, it kills the whole point of it, and kids start associating learning with getting in trouble. Surprisingly, that doesn’t lead to better grades.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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