Although justified by some, physical punishment leaves negative physical and psychological 
consequences in children and adolescents. This form of abuse, defined as the use of physical force against minors by persons in positions of authority, is among the main types of violence that affect children and adolescents at school, according to a global survey conducted in 2007 by the non-governmental organization Plan.
No teacher wants to intentionally harm their students. At least that is what Larissa Pelletier, national education adviser for Plan República Dominicana, considers.
"I do not think teachers are violent because they want to be violent. I do not believe that teachers affect the self-esteem of children because they want to. They just do not have the modes, they do not know other ways "
Causes
Among the factors that influenced the problem were the emphasis on discipline over learning, the absence of self-control tools, the circle of structural violence that enveloped teachers, and the contradiction between discourse and practice in the classroom.
"The issue of violence in a general sense, at the country level, is structural," says Pelletier. "We have it in all areas of society. The school is a reflection of what happens in society. "
The emphasis on control, as well as the vertical system that prevails in the schools, does not help. In addition, it is in direct contradiction with the teaching ideal proposed in the curriculum of the Ministry of Education.
Motivation
"A teacher who feels that children move a lot in his classroom feels that he is not a teacher, because he does not have control; however, our curriculum states that learning is active, dynamic, that children have to explore, move, socialize "
This problem is exacerbated in schools with overcrowded classrooms and by the number of teachers who lack motivation to carry out their work. "The motivation is very important and it's on the ground," says the expert. That motivation goes through the working conditions, obviously. "
When educators do not have mechanisms to solve their own emotional conflicts, they can vent their anger or frustration on the students.
According to Pelletier, the country has many qualified university professors who do not necessarily know how to handle their relationships or their affective sphere assertively. Others do not have the right tools to apply positive discipline and create a climate of peace in the classroom. And the climate of peace, he says, decisively influences learning.
Climate of peace stimulates learning
The corporal punishment suffered by children and adolescents in school leaves physical and psychological consequences.
Immediately, you can leave physical injuries and cause the student to develop anxiety and even hostile teacher. In the medium and long term, this type of abuse stimulates violent behavior in victims, interferes with their learning and promotes school dropouts.
"It has been shown that corporal punishment is the easiest way to intervene a behavior, opening the possibility of becoming a way of seeing and understanding life for children and adolescents"
What does the positive discipline concept refer to? "To the action of accompanying children and adolescents in the process of growing in knowledge, values, skills and behaviors. It is more than intervening so that negative behavior does not occur. "
Application
"If the classroom is a space where, from the first day, you have a teacher in control, who knows he has tools, who is affectionate, who wants to do a motivated job and who cares for his children ... he leaves to create a climate of trust, respect, acceptance, values "
Positive discipline, he explains, is installed from the first day of classes through the creation of clear rules that must be respected by all members of the group, including the teacher.
"I can not set some rules and violate them", when in a classroom the norms of coexistence and the consequences of their violation are established, the teacher does not have to invest much time and effort correcting students.
The climate of peace has a decisive influence on the teaching-learning process.
"If there is a factor that is directly proportional to the children's learning, it is a harmonious school climate, of respect, of possibilities, that children feel free, that they can express their opinions, propose."
Affirms that, to move from the authoritarian model that encourages violence to the model of positive discipline, teachers need more than materials and training: they need accompaniment.
"For that the system has created the figure of the coordinators. And then you have a family and a community that should be sensitized to know what happens in school and what the right to education of their children means, which is not just going to school. "
Violence in schools threatens that right. And not only physics; also the verbal or psychological.
MODIFICATION OF BEHAVIORS
How to properly handle the negative behaviors that a student might present?
• Natural consequences: it consists of putting the minor in contact with the direct consequence of his fault, by repaying the damage he did.
• Reframing: it involves intervening in the manifestation of inappropriate behavior, giving it a different and positive interpretation.
• Refocusing and praise: it consists in directing attention to another situation or reality so that the child exhibiting inappropriate behavior does not receive attention. We also have to praise the right behaviors - and good intentions and effort when they arise.
• Time out: it consists of separating the student for a short time from the space or situation in which he shows the unwanted behavior.
