Alice you said about spanking
It doesn't teach the child anything;

it may teach the child how to spank..and perpetuate the habit.

I worked one school for a short time on secondment..there was a little girl from a home where we knew frequent smacking was the norm..she grew fond of me and her way of expressing herself was to say.."Mrs T.I'm not going to smack you"
These "At risk" pupils soaked up kindness and we all found ourself working toward enriching their lives..pitiful that the homelife was less than kind.since then directives from E.U. in the UK meanS its a crime to smack heaviliy...resonable chastisment is a small tap on the leg.