I am a 43 year old man who was physically hit and paddled by teachers as an elementary school student, and the trauma from those events has lingered for me all these years.
Striking a child with the intent of causing pain, fear and humiliation is heinous and is traumatic and destructive to a child. There are only certain students who get hit, boys, the ones who come from troubled homes. These boys come from abuse in their homes, only to be abused further in school.
Teachers should keep their hands off of children. I wake every morning still remembering the humiliation those teachers inflicted on my life.
Corporal punishment is a crime, and any teacher engaging in such activity is not fit to work with children.