Amid a surge in violence and disruption in schools, authorities are being urged to end corporal punishment and overhaul the nation’s approach to discipline.
Registered counselling psychologist and consultant Dr Nicole Lynch warned on Monday that the long-standing belief in “licks” as a solution is fuelling trauma and failing to address the root causes of children’s behaviour. She insisted that traditional methods of beating and punishing children were no longer effective, especially as behavioural issues among students persist in schools and have become more prominent.
Speaking to Barbados TODAY at a two-day workshop at the Barbados Water Authority conference room, The Pine, Dr Lynch did not mince words.
“Beating children isn’t working—we need a shift in mindset and method. We’ve done the beating. We’ve done the punishing. And we are still here. What else can we do?” she asked. “Punishment does not teach a better way. It may stop the behaviour in the moment, but what have we resourced that child with to help them do better going forward?”
The workshop, titled Managing Behaviour in Schools: A Positive Behaviour Management Approach, aims to equip educators—particularly those working in special education—with practical, research-based strategies to move away from punitive responses and instead promote respectful and effective classroom discipline.
Dr Lynch is guiding participants through a deeper understanding of behaviour—what it is, what influences it, and how to respond. She highlighted the impact of trauma and mental health diagnoses such as ADHD, anxiety, depression, conduct disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder, all of which can manifest as disruptive behaviour in the classroom.
“We have to look beyond these behaviours and see that some of them are actually cries for help,” she said. “Behaviour is learned. It’s a skill. And if we accept that, then our job becomes to teach it—to teach what being respectful looks like on a bus, in a supermarket, at church—and to support children in practising those behaviours.”
Her comments come as Barbados continues to face a troubling surge in student misconduct. Recent reports from schools across the island have included cases of student-on-teacher violence, verbal abuse, weapons on campus, and general classroom disruption. Against this backdrop, the Ministry of Education has reaffirmed its intention to move away from corporal punishment—a method once widely accepted in Barbadian classrooms but now largely viewed as ineffective and harmful.
Still, Dr Lynch acknowledged that attitudes towards discipline remain deeply entrenched. “It’s a prevailing mindset—the belief that if we toughen them up at home, they’ll be able to handle the world,” she said. “But what we now know is that respectful, firm discipline that builds trust and teaches skills is what actually equips them to function in the world.”
She explained that harsh, repetitive discipline can result in both externalising behaviours, such as aggression and rebellion, and internalising issues such as depression, anxiety, and trauma.
“Trauma isn’t just big events like natural disasters,” she noted. “For a child, it’s anything that overwhelms their capacity to cope. And constantly being shouted at, beaten, or belittled—that creates trauma. It chips away at their confidence and sense of self.”
The positive behaviour programme being promoted through the current training is not new. Acting education officer for special needs, Michelle Gooding, explained that the initiative was first piloted in 2006 at Hillaby Turner’s Hall Primary under the UNICEF-supported Child Friendly Schools framework. Over two years, that pilot recorded measurable improvements in both student behaviour and academic performance.
But Gooding admitted that maintaining and scaling the programme has been a challenge. “It’s not just a one-off training. It’s a whole-school approach. But it requires consistent management and resources—not just ideas. If teachers go back to their schools and don’t enact what they’ve learned, then what?” she asked.
She added that with new teachers entering the education system every year, retraining is necessary to maintain momentum, especially as Barbados moves away from corporal punishment. “This is the model we’re using now, so we need our teachers to understand the theory behind behaviour and how to apply it. But it also takes creative resources—including reward systems—and sometimes those fall on the teachers’ own pockets.”
Both Gooding and Dr Lynch stressed that any real success depends not just on schools but also on strong support from parents.
“We don’t control the homes,” Gooding pointed out. “Parents may not be doing what’s needed early on, like checking for learning or behavioural disorders. That’s why strong PTAs are important—they can be a vehicle for sensitising parents about what’s acceptable and what support systems exist.”
Dr Lynch agreed, emphasising the need for collaboration.
“We can’t do this in isolation. We need parents to be on the same page,” she said. “And we have to get rid of the myth that positive discipline is permissive. It’s not soft. It’s thoughtful. It’s firm. It’s about teaching values—intentionally and consistently—in how we speak, how we model, and how we structure our schools and homes.”
She added that the positive behaviour model is grounded in attachment theory, which recognises that every child has a deep-seated need to feel safe, connected, and accepted. When this need is not met, children may act out—not out of defiance, but from a place of disconnection.
“If we build positive relationships with our students, meet that attachment need, and create safety—we’ll see a shift,” she said. “But it takes planning, consistency, and a cultural willingness to change.”
During the two-day training, teachers are also learning how to conduct functional behavioural analysis—a method that helps educators identify the root cause of a child’s behaviour and determine what purpose it is serving, so they can guide the child towards meeting that need in a healthier way.
“Some children act out for attention because that’s the only way they’ve learned to get it,” Dr Lynch explained. “But we can show them how to earn attention—and pride—through their talents, their kindness, their leadership. That shift can be life-changing.”
She was quick to stress that this approach is not about letting children get away with bad behaviour, but about responding in ways that actually promote growth.
“Our children need understanding, yes. But they also need firm, clear expectations,” she said. “They don’t need more licks. They need more teaching. And we can do that, together.”
sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb
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