LETTER: Restorative school discipline and liberal wishful thinking

I read with both amusement and bemusement Tara Raines’ May 30 commentary, “Spare the rod.” It was very typical of the idealistic, unrealistic magical thinking of most liberals.

Does Ms. Raines realize that students who frequently swear at teachers, occasionally assault them and cause classroom disruption that makes it almost impossible to instruct motivated students are desperately in need of some form of discipline that makes an impact on behavior?

As with most liberal academics, Ms. Raines plays the race card, references vague and in-vogue trends without citing actual studies and offers no real solutions to real problems.

I spent 16 years in a large public school system as a behavioral health counselor for at-risk students. I have seen first-hand that discipline, accountability and structure are necessary for these students to achieve academically.