Hope for America!!

[I_am_not_mafia]

What he is learning is that he can only kick teachers and spit in their face if he can get away with it.

What he is not learning is empathy or the ability to question authority.

If the kid does not have sense enough not to run out in traffic, and does not have sense or respect for his teacher not to kick and spit in her face then common sense should be telling you that empathy is not a concern he has nor will he have. The child must first be centered and taken out of the mind set that has him endangering himself and others first and foremost. Then he is to be taught not to kick and spit. Once he can be reason with then you can bring in the lessons on empathy. Otherwise what do you think will happen when you try and talk about empathy when his mind is on running out into traffic?

You're assuming that the children have the same level of intellect as you. A lot of children can be very bright and can understand such things as cause, effect and consequences. You could just as easily tell your child about the consequences of running into traffic and scare them into not doing it. Or even show them pictures. Many times children just haven't had a chance to really think about things rather than because they are being naughty. I know that would have cured me of running into traffic more than being beaten would have.

And you say that the child was kicking and spitting. How do we know that the child was not kicking and spitting because he was brought up in a household that regularly beat him? Naughtiness is not necessarily a default behaviour but it can be trained into children.