Introduction
The debate continues over the use of Corporal Punishment in the primary and secondary schools of Trinidad and Tobago. Since the ban in the year 2000 on corporal punishment from schools in Trinidad and Tobago there has been an increase of national concerns over the effects of corporal punishment on discipline of primary and secondary school students.
According to (Gershoff 2002) corporal punishment can be defined as the use of physical force with the intention of causing a child to experience pain but not injury for the purposes of correction or control of a child's behaviour. It includes a wide variety of methods such as hitting, slapping, spanking, punching, kicking, pinching, shaking, shoving, choking, use of various objects (wooden paddles, belts, sticks, pins, or others), painful body postures (as placing in closed spaces), use of electric shock and use of excessive exercise drills.
These harsh disciplinary measures adopted by authoritarian teachers to discipline students’ lead to anti-social behaviour, contribute to academic failure and social rejection. These conditions further reduce self-esteem and create depressed mood, which in turn add to the likelihood of delinquency in adolescents (Patterson, 1982).
However, this paper seeks to outline the negative effects of corporal punishment and positive disciplinary actions that can be used to deal with students’ misbehaviour.

Negative effects of corporal punishment
Inconsistent or overuse of punishment in harsh and unskilled ways can have very undesirable, dangerous and long lasting effects on the students’ who may develop negative personality traits such as disliking the punishing person, developing strong fears and anxieties, obstacles with learning, learning to escape and avoid people, places and things associated with harsh punishment which stimulates aggression and they imitate the methods of punishment used by their parents and teachers. Corporal punishment is physiologically as well as psychologically damaging students’ lives.
The use of corporal punishment in schools promotes a very dangerous message: that violence is an acceptable phenomenon in our society. It encourages children to resort to violence because they see their authority figures or substitute parents using it. It also sanctions the use of physical violence by parents toward their children. Parents are not trained to use alternatives to corporal punishment and encouraging them to hit their children is a dangerous message to promote in our violent society.
As a result, corporal punishment has been found to be a factor in behaviours such as bullying, lying, cheating, running away, absenteeism and involvement in crime as a child and young adult.
Corporal punishment is emotionally as well as physically painful and its links to poor mental health in childhood are clear. When students are beaten, they often feel anger and shame at the same time, which leads to a feeling of humiliation. When students are forced to tolerate an injustice, their sense of dignity and self-confidence is damaged. Students may also stop trusting adults who repeatedly use corporal punishment against them. These negative experiences can lead children to depression, thoughts of suicide, desires for revenge and aggression toward others.
Many students who experience corporal punishment on a regular basis live with slowed or interrupted cognitive and emotional development. They become withdrawn and fearful of trying new things. They feel ashamed of themselves due to regular humiliation. They need more time to learn social and academic skills. Their performance at school deteriorates, and their ability to form healthy, satisfying relationships can be severely affected.
As a result of these consequences, corporal punishment is counterproductive. It brings harm to children rather than success. It does not help children learn what was wrong with their behaviour. It undermines their confidence and contributes toward children trusting adults and teachers less.

Positive disciplinary actions that can be used to deal with students’ misbehaviour
According to (Gootman, 2001) he believes that positive discipline is closely linked to the caring teacher who helps students to develop self-worth, responsibility and respect. This approach is supported by the teacher’s goal to develop a practical approach to discipline, the cooperation by all teachers, parents and pupils to work together to solve problems and help students be the best they can be. It also rests on the principle that the classroom is a caring community where relationships among the students and between the teacher and students are supportive and based on the psychological needs of the students.
According to (Jones, 1990) it is believed that the modelling of warm, friendly, positive teacher behaviour, blended with firmness, realistic limits and competent teaching is the foundation of the interpersonal relationship on which positive classroom management is dependent on.
According to (Sprick & Daniels, 2010) they believe that a framework for managing student behaviour that is based on the theory of motivation which involves structuring the classroom for success; teaching behavioural expectations to students; monitoring student behaviour; interacting positively with students by focusing more on acknowledging positive behaviour than responding to bad behaviour and correcting in a brief, calm and consistent manner.

Conclusion
Corporal punishment causes direct physical harm to children and impacts negatively in the short- and long-term on their mental and physical health and education. Far from teaching students how to behave, it impairs moral internalisation, increases antisocial behaviour and damages family relationships. It increases aggression in children and increases the likelihood of committing and experiencing violence as an adult. It is closely linked to other forms of violence in societies, and ending it is essential in struggling other violence, including partner violence. Respect for children’s rights to protection, health, development and education requires that all corporal punishment of children be prohibited in law and eliminated in practice from schools in Trinidad and Tobago.
However, it is important for teachers to implement alternative methods or strategies to deal with students’ misbehaviour in a positive manner. Positive discipline contributes to students’ character development as it aids them to accept responsibility for their actions and ways they can improve.

Bibliography 1. Gershoff, E. (2002). Corporal punishment by parents and associated child behaviors and experiences: a metaanalytic and theoretical review. Psychological Bulletins. 2. Gootman, M. (2001). The caring teacher’s guide to discipline: Helping young students learn self-control, responsibilty and respect. California: Corwin Press Inc. 3. Jones, V., & Jones, S. (1990). Comprehensive Classroom Management:Motivating and Managing Students. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. 4. Naker, D., & Sekitoleko, D. (2009). Positive Discipline: Creating A Good School Without Corporal Punishment. Uganda: Raising Voices. 5. Patterson, G. (1982). A social learning approach to family intervention: 111 coercive family process. . 6. Spricks, R., & Daniels, K. (2010). Managing student behavior.