Paying kids for good grades!

• redstreak one

  

  http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1978589-1,00.html
  
  This Time Magazine article is interesting to me. On the one hand I understand that learning should be something a kid just wants to do. On the other hand however, that love to learning IMO isnt a born with attitude, but rather an environmental factor.
  
  In my house growing up, my father was a big reader. He would go through a book every few days and he and my mother would encourage us to read and learn and show us how to do so. My wife and I now do this with our children.
  
  However, I can see how some kids are not exposed to this type of environment, and how will they learn how to learn. This is the important part of education, how to teach a kid, how and where and why to find an answer. What say you chatter world!
• zambrown

  

  I was never paid for grades and have never paid my son. Good grades are an expectation, not a pleasant surprise. Occasionally we'll go out to dinner or something if he does really, really well, but other than that, no.
• thavoice

  Hell when i was in grade school we got paid for good grades...and my dad was a teacher.
  
  was only like a buck for an A...that was all you got paid for. None of us struggled with our grades at all so it wasnt like that.........was just something for more incentive\\.
  
  Hell..it wasnt really anything at all......was ust money they woulda given anyways for money at a ballame, to use at the park..such as that.
• Con_Alma

  No way will we ever pay them for a responsibility they already have. Household chores and striving to reach their full potential in the classroom are not compensation events.
  
  We don't get incentives or compensation for everything that is right and that we should do in the world. What better time to teach them this than when they are in their formative years?
• thePITman

  

  All kids are different. I was never once rewarded for my grades by my parents, and I was a straight A student from kindergarden through 8th grade (I got my first B ever in 8th grade English). I then finished high school with a 3.89 GPA and college with a 3.80 GPA (Magna Cum Laude). I never once got a dime from my paernts. However, both of my older brothers were rewarded heavily by my parents. Neither of them carried a 3.0 GPA ever, I don't think. My one brother got a 3.0 or 3.5 GPA one semester in high school, and I remember my parents buying him a brand new customized BMX bike he wanted. I was apalled at the double standard, but I understood that it was a big deal for them to get a 3.0 or 3.5, and it wasn't for me.
  
  If a parent thinks rewarding a kid for good grades with money or food would work to motivate the child more down the road, then by all means, that parent's judgement is probably better than anyone else's for that child. I have no problem if a parent does it. My grandparents gave me a few dollars a few times in grade school, but nothing set in stone or consistent.
  
  I see no problem with parents who refuse to reward their kids, and I see no problem with those who choose to reward their kids.
• ts1227

  

  We would go eat after every grading period, higher grades between my brother (3 years younger than me) and myself got to pick the place.
  
  It wasn't really fair to my brother. I ended up being valedictorian so the poor bastard never got to choose. He never tried that hard in school anyway.
• redstreak one

  

  ^^^^ The article deals with a Harvard professor of Economics going into 4 different cities and rewarding through the schools, not the parents.
• mattinctown

  zambrown wrote: I was never paid for grades and have never paid my son. Good grades are an expectation, not a pleasant surprise. Occasionally we'll go out to dinner or something if he does really, really well, but other than that, no.

  
  This
• I Wear Pants

  thePITman wrote: I see no problem with parents who refuse to reward their kids, and I see no problem with those who choose to reward their kids.

  This ^^
  
  I remember some of my teachers had a reward system based on how well you did. Got things like candy, toys, occasionally gift certificates. This was in elementary school but it worked pretty well as the class seemed to do pretty well.
  
  People keep looking for the one "right" way of teaching or raising kids and the truth is that there isn't one. Some are better than others in one situation and maybe in a different situation the better methods are now less effective.
• THE4RINGZ

  

  We never got paid as children, although back in the day you could take your grade card to McDonald's and get free food based on your grades. That was in the 70's. All A's got you more free food than a couple of A's and a C. I don't remember what the formula was. But that was a big deal to us, because my parents never took us to places like that except for the free food we had "earned"
  
  I don't compensate my kids for good grades.
• Heretic

  

  If by "pay", you mean "not beat them like a red-headed stepson", I agree that it's a good idea.
  
  When I was growing up, good grades were expected. Things kinda went like this: do good in school AND help around the house and farm without being a whiny punk about it and I'd pretty much have a carefree life where I'd be allowed to play video games or go out during free time AND my parents would occasionally gift me with a game I wanted or something like that. If I didn't meet those requirements, all those nice gifts and privileges I had would be taken away until I got back in their good graces.
• FatHobbit

  

  I don't know if I like the idea of paying my kid for good grades, but I do take her out to celebrate when she gets straight A's.
  
  But the article was about as a school system trying to find ways to motivate kids. I don't know the best way, but I can tell you the current system isn't so great. I like that they are looking at the kids and their motivation and not trying to blame teachers for kids who don't care. IMHO parents and kids are more responsible for their education than teachers. The teachers play a big part, but unless the kids and parents are on board, there's not much they can do.
• Con_Alma

  "...IMHO parents and kids are more responsible for their education than teachers. The teachers play a big part, but unless the kids and parents are on board, there's not much they can do."
  
  This is the issue right here. Schools can never replace to role of parents. If there is not the focus on education at home the school isn't going to be successful with the masses.
• Websurfinbird

  

  I think the U.S. as a whole needs to come to an understanding that not everyone is meant to be an academic. I'm not saying give up on children "don't want to learn." But maybe offer opportunities to explore other than the traditional classroom.
• FatHobbit

  

  Websurfinbird wrote: I think the U.S. as a whole needs to come to an understanding that not everyone is meant to be an academic. I'm not saying give up on children "don't want to learn." But maybe offer opportunities to explore other than the traditional classroom.

  I get what you're saying, but I think the focus of the study was to try to find ways to get kids through high school. I don't think that's an unreasonable goal.
• justincredible

  

  I wasn't paid for good grades. I didn't get my ass kicked by getting good grades.
• se-alum

  

  I see no problem with parents who refuse to reward their kids, and I see no problem with those who choose to reward their kids.

  This
• GoChiefs

  

  I don't have an issue with those that do pay..nothing wrong with that..that's their way of doing things. I never got paid though, and I definitely don't pay my son anything. I guess, in a way, I do. He knows if he gets bad grades, the Wii goes, the TV goes, he does nothing but schoolwork until his grades are back up to A's & B's. I only had to take something away from him once. He seemed to have learned his lesson from that.
• thePITman

  

  GoChiefs wrote: I don't have an issue with those that do pay..nothing wrong with that..that's their way of doing things. I never got paid though, and I definitely don't pay my son anything. I guess, in a way, I do. He knows if he gets bad grades, the Wii goes, the TV goes, he does nothing but schoolwork until his grades are back up to A's & B's. I only had to take something away from him once. He seemed to have learned his lesson from that.

  Exactly. Every kid is different. Like someone else said, there is no one "right" way to do this. There is no one way to "motivate" a child. Some can do it with money. Others with taking away toys. Etc etc.
• Gblock

  Con_Alma wrote: "...IMHO parents and kids are more responsible for their education than teachers. The teachers play a big part, but unless the kids and parents are on board, there's not much they can do."
  
  This is the issue right here. Schools can never replace to role of parents. If there is not the focus on education at home the school isn't going to be successful with the masses.

  well said. as a teacher i would like to take credit for the success of some students, but really its the parents.
  
  i have taught at some terrible schools, in terrible neighborhoods. At every one there are children who excel and go places. amidst all that crap they keep their chin up and take care of business. this is why i stay at these type of schools.
• j_crazy

  

  justincredible wrote: I wasn't paid for good grades. I didn't get my ass kicked by getting good grades.

  in my house, B = Beatdown.
  
  seriously, i got a C+ in English 1 9 weeks, got stomped for it.
• power i

  

  I was never above bribing my kids.
• sonofsam

  

  Sorry, good grades are about effort and discipline, rewards come later in life. Teaching these values will help a child later in life. These are also the kind of parents that buy their son/daughter a brand new car and when they wreck it, they buy them another one. I don't understand that.
• VikingFan

  We have tried everything with my youngest to motivate him. He is extremely bright but has "second-child syndrome" and is more apt to worry about his social status than grades. His class also seems to be full of quite a few "dipshits" which definately doesn't help. The occasional C was driving me crazy and keeping him off the honor roll which was not an unrealistic expectation for this kid. Taking things away didn't seem to phase him.....He is only motivated by money and here is my scale that we have agreed upon that hangs inside the pantry....
  
  A=$15
  B=$10
  C=$-30
  D=$-60
  F=$-100 or death - U decide
  
  Rules Are:
  PSEOP classes are not paid until final grade is given (not on the interim grade). No money for easy classes (gym, family living,etc..) but will take $ away if they would ever be a C or below in those. If honor roll status is obtained he is then allowed to double his take. So essentially for 5 classes..and assuming all A's...he would have $75.. Making the honor roll would double it giving him a potential of $150 per 9 weeks...It hasn't happened as often as I would like but has motivated him to care.....especially due to the fact that a couple of C's or one D could cause him to owe me which has happened only once.
• mtrulz

  Oh hell yes!! This thread is the GOAT.