Excluding Students as Punishment

It has been argued that excluding students from school activities as punishment is unfair. They are wrong. Setting an example out of a student deters other students from committing the same offense. When I attended high school some of my classmates were excluded from school activities. Excluding students from school activities is a useful punishment.

To begin with, excluding students will teach them to exercise better judgment. Being punished, to an extreme extent, makes one not want to repeat the same offense. For example, my classmate Jeff was excluded from prom for smoking. The principal decided to make an example out of him and banned him from prom. The possibility of being excluded from future school activities made Jeff clean up his act. After the incident Jeff quit smoking and attended class regularly. Other students heard of Jeff’s punishment and decided to quit smoking. Similarly, Nancy was not allowed to attend graduation. Nancy was caught speeding in a school zone, with passengers in the car. Missing out on graduation prompted Nancy to better herself. Nancy changed her driving habits and obeyed all traffic laws almost immediately. Being punished severely made Nancy decide not to make the same mistake twice. In these instances, you can see that severely punishing students for bad decisions does work.

Furthermore, excluding students teaches them about real world consequences. Teenagers think they can do anything they want, and not be punished accordingly. For instance, Eric used to break into lockers and thought he was unstoppable. Eric expected to only get a slap on the wrist. Eric was charged with grand theft and banned from all future school activities. SUSD police booked Eric into juvenile hall. Theft on campus was greatly reduced after students found out about what happened to Eric. In addition, Jaime was caught writing graffiti on school property. As part of his punishment Jaime was not allowed to attend field trips, as well as any dances, for the remainder of the school year. The school also ordered him to pay restitution. Jaime learned a valuable lesson from his punishment. Jaime now knows, in life, you are always held accountable for your actions. The examples of Eric and Jaime clearly illustrate that excluding students teaches them about real world consequences.

Finally, excluding students will prevent others from following suit. When students find out about the severity of punishments, it serves as a good deterrent. For example, being banned from future school events deters students from behaving badly. When Nancy was banned from graduation, no other student drivers broke the speed limits around school. When students learned that Jaime was not allowed to attend any dances or field trips the graffiti problem disappeared. Also, finding out about Eric’s permanent ban from school activities drastically reduced theft. When students know they will be punished on a grand scale, they will not engage in unscrupulous activities. Lastly, I was one to learn from the examples that were made of my classmates. The consequences they suffered for their actions made me not want to go down the same road. The thought of everyone knowing that I was caught, for doing something foolish, was embarrassing enough. Not to mention, exclusion from future school functions played an important role in me deciding not to engage in activities that where frowned upon. Missing out on the fun of high school was not an option. In these instances, it is evident that excluding students will prevent others from following suit.

No doubt, excluding students from school activities is a useful punishment. Excluding students will teach them to exercise better judgment and about real world consequences. Most importantly, excluding students will prevent others from following suit. Not being a part of the many memorable high school experiences does affect how students will act.