Srila Prabhupada advised about the teachers carrying sticks, meaning that this should only be done within the classroom. Sticks should only be used for showing, but in order to teach these children properly it requires tactics. Srila Prabhupada gave the example of a tiger in a circus. The tiger is controlled by the trainer, but the trainer never strikes him with the whip. Simply he cracks it in a very fierce manner. Similarly children should be trained in the same way. Teachers should be very expert and not have to resort to actually striking, but to be able to influence and control the children by simply being very staunch and strict. Srila Prabhupada said that everyone in this age is a rogue and demon so these children are unwieldy and untrained so it will take time and kindness and perseverance to bring them to become Krishna conscious gentlemen, but to make the regulation too strict
and to punish too severely will not serve to bring them. to become Krishna conscious devotees. Srila Prabhupada further stated that if the teachers are not qualified to handle the children then they should be beaten with the stick and not the children.

From a letter from Karandhar Dasa, 8 Oct 72