I want to celebrate!
Some people give their children cash for good grades.
This is the Good Grades = Money system.
I want to celebrate (reward?) her in some way, but money doesn't sit right with me.
She wants Sims 3 for the WII.
But, I think buying that for her would be the same as Good Grades = Money (in the form of a new "toy")
I want her to get good grades because she has the ability to do so and intrinsically wants to do well. Not because there is money or a new game waiting for her.
I've decided to:
1. Take her out to dinner to celebrate the successful completion of her first high school semester.
2. Pay 1/2 of the game just like I would any time.
What do you think about the Good Grades = Money debate?
We usually take the kids out for dinner to celebrate. It never occurred to me to pay the kids for good grades. I just assumed they would do their best without monetary incentive. So far it's working out well!
ReplyDeleteI agree that assuming they'll do their best just because is best. When I was in high school, there were several kids I knew who got money. Not sure what we're teaching our kids with that method!
DeleteWow! This is indeed great news! If I would choose between the 2 options, I would prefer the first one which is to take the family out and celebrate. We usually watch a movie, eat together, and stroll in malls. In my opinion, rewarding your kid with cash or a new "toy" won't be a good idea because they will then do it for the reward instead and not for themselves.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely! I want the good grades to be the reward themselves. Still, I'm going to take her out to dinner:)
DeleteI can't get behind the paying for grades (or anything else that falls into MY category of "supposed to"s.) You're supposed to get good grades, supposed to do your best, the thought of trying to do better simply because of a reward takes away from the valuable lesson in hard work. What happens when kids who always receive monetary incentives get into the real world? You have to then earn the money and having a sound foundation of hard work makes it easier. Did you know that many inner city school systems now have an internal program that does this -- pays the students for their grades? The idea was floated around in DC for a short time but thankfully was shot down. First, teaching our children starts at home. Being reliant upon the school to teach from a book and then reward our kids is just...wrong. At the same time, though, I do see how it works as an immediate incentive (in very poor communities), but I don't see its positive long term benefits.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! I didn't even know that some school have a money incentive for kids. I also wonder what this teaches kids in the long run! We want children to intrinsically want to do their best, but how do we teach that? It believe it comes from home.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a teacher, I once complimented a student on his excellent poetry in front of his peers. I thought he'd be proud. But they teased him and he never did work in that class again. I realized sometimes it's not "cool" to get excellent grades. So now, I compliment students privately!