I have to disagree with you on this one. The reaason being, the teacher is not with that child 24/7. The teacher is not the one who has to deal with the punishing, it's the parents. If you are a good parent, then you will get things across to your child, whether you spank them or not. It's not about putting blame on anyone, but trying to see where the problems are, and how they can possibly fixed. As I said before, I have three kids, and I have taught them respect from the word "go". They go to school and sure, there are kids there who act up and who are bad..but it is my responsibility, as a parent to sit down with them after school and ask them how their day went. By doing this, you are creating a bond with your child, and they are more likely to talk about things that are going on. For example, they might tell you, "the teacher today, said that if anyone smacks us, it's abuse". This gives you a chance to explain in your own words what child abuse is. I'm not saying that they will tell you everything, but at least it's a start. However, I do agree with you about if the child has bruises to take notice. But I think there is a very thin line there as well..because the bruises could be from them just playing and getting bumped here and there. If you notice over and over the bruises, and the child is not saying anything or how it happened, then chances are something is happening at home. I'm not an expert, but I have had a lot of experience with abuse..not for my kids, but as I was a kid. Where did my problems start? At home! Period!

I forgot to mention that if a child is bad from kindergarten and up, then the parents are not working hard at all, to do anything. I respect anyone's opinion, if there is respect in my opinions. Have a nice day!