Should We Reward Good Students?

[One Brow]

Please tell me you are joking.

Among those who are the working poor (not in the poverty level and generally not getting any sort of government benefits), it's common to lose a job and have to take one that pays less.

 

[One Brow]

Absolutely not. BUT, I would tell them to live below their means. And if that means east St. Louis, then do it. Work two jobs, move in mom's basement, go to school.

If it meant I would die in a huge amount of debt, I would still get my kids into Belleville schools over East St. Louis schools (and it's not like Belleville is even above average). I plan to take on more debt to send them to college. some things are more important that worrying about your current "means".

 

[moevillini]

someone mentioned that rewarding perfect attendance is ridiculous, and I definitely agree - - but my daughter-in-law teaches at a small (180 students) inner city alternative high school and I like what they do - - they reward the entire school! The homeroom group with the top attendance percentage in the month of February will be able to go to see the CHICAGO BULLS in the first week of March; and 2) EVERY WEEK that our student body earns 90% attendance, the student body will earn PIZZA for lunch!

 

[moevillini]

I'm not exactly sure who among us it is, but I think some of us are living in a fantasy world.

 

[One Brow]

I'm not exactly sure who among us it is, but I think some of us are living in a fantasy world.

I would be surprised is some of us were not. Maybe some of us have fantasies a little closer to reality, maybe not.

 

[Stoked]

Among those who are the working poor (not in the poverty level and generally not getting any sort of government benefits), it's common to lose a job and have to take one that pays less.

But that's not what you said. You said "Obviously not, if you think they generally have kids while they are poor". Poor people have children they cannot afford all the time. They get pregnant while poor all the time.

Are there cases like you are now saying? Absolutely. People change income brackets all the time. But it is fact that some poor people have kids knowing that they cannot provide for them.

 

[One Brow]

But that's not what you said. You said "Obviously not, if you think they generally have kids while they are poor". Poor people have children they cannot afford all the time. They get pregnant while poor all the time.

I think I probably did go a little too far in the argument you criticized.

However, it's interesting having green tell me that the working poor really can afford those kids by cutting back, while you're telling me they can't afford them.

 

[Scat]

It always irritated me when my kids came home and told me about their friends that got paid money for every A they got. I told my kids that their reward for getting an A was not getting punished because they got a good grade.

Getting good grades should be expected.

 

[LogGrad98]

The pay for the A thing is irritating to me too. When my kids got straight A's we would usually do some kind of family activity to show them we were proud of them, but to make getting an instant and monetary reward the expectation for expected behaviors builds an unsustainable model of reinforcement for most kids. When they get to college and the parent maybe helping pay for it is the best reward they expect there can, and often is, a pretty big let-down. They need to learn the intrinsic value of doing a good job on whatever they try to do if they want to succeed in life in general.

 

[VINYLONE]

It always irritated me when my kids came home and told me about their friends that got paid money for every A they got. I told my kids that their reward for getting an A was not getting punished because they got a good grade.

Getting good grades should be expected.

The pay for the A thing is irritating to me too. When my kids got straight A's we would usually do some kind of family activity to show them we were proud of them, but to make getting an instant and monetary reward the expectation for expected behaviors builds an unsustainable model of reinforcement for most kids. When they get to college and the parent maybe helping pay for it is the best reward they expect there can, and often is, a pretty big let-down. They need to learn the intrinsic value of doing a good job on whatever they try to do if they want to succeed in life in general.

I agree with both of you.

 

[One Brow]

I agree with both of you.

I just read a study about kids doing art, in three groups (know they would get a reward, got areward without knowing it was going to happen, no reward). The first group rated their enjoyment of doing the art lowest.

 

[Stoked]

It always irritated me when my kids came home and told me about their friends that got paid money for every A they got. I told my kids that their reward for getting an A was not getting punished because they got a good grade.

Getting good grades should be expected.

The pay for the A thing is irritating to me too. When my kids got straight A's we would usually do some kind of family activity to show them we were proud of them, but to make getting an instant and monetary reward the expectation for expected behaviors builds an unsustainable model of reinforcement for most kids. When they get to college and the parent maybe helping pay for it is the best reward they expect there can, and often is, a pretty big let-down. They need to learn the intrinsic value of doing a good job on whatever they try to do if they want to succeed in life in general.

Is it expected? Absolutely. Does that mena no reward should be given? No. I do not/will not reward for every single A and every good test. But simetimes you have to throw a bone for a job well done. No different than a bonus at work. Sometimes acknowledgement of hard work is the right thing.

Basically rewarding students has its time and place.