Somehow the physical act of punishment diminishes the shame of it in my eyes and increases my sympathy with the delinquent child (in my mind the victim). I feel like punishments designed to segregate and shame do an insidious kind of harm and they are mainly adopted for the benefit of the teachers without regard for the child.
I agree with this. I can remember kids who had serious problems at home, moderate learning disabilities, and other such problems being kicked out of classes. They were the sort of kids that needed more attention, not to be shuttled off to a remote classroom to be by themselves with no investment from the teachers. A couple of guys in particular had effectively given up by the time we were in 3rd or 4th grade.
For me, being thrown out of class was both a game and reaffirmed what I believed anyway.
It was a game in that I viewed classes as a battle of wills with the teacher. I was most frequently guilty of being either defiant or subverting class discussions for my own entertainment. If I could drive a class off the tracks then get kicked out/forced to call my parents/whatever, I had won.
I also seldom felt like I belonged among my peers and wanted to be left alone. Getting thrown out of class accomplished that goal for me. The teacher basically admitting that I didn't belong in the class reaffirmed my belief that I was different from the rest of 'em and didn't belong.
Also I think as a society we're too worried about things like physical pain, dirt, expiration dates, etc., etc. That's a thread for another time, though.
That would probably be a good thread, though most people here would probably agree on those topics.