Note: an incentive is something that motivates someone to act
A recent article in Time magazine, "Is Cash the Answer?" (April 19, 2010), explained how hundreds of schools have experimented with paying students with cold, hard cash for showing up or getting good grades or reading books. This makes adults very uncomfortable. Teachers complain that we are rewarding kids for doing what they should be doing anyway. Psychologists warn that money can actually make young people perform worse by cheapening the act of learning. Parents predict widespread slacking off after the incentives go away. But many are asking: Does it work?
In four cities, 18,000 students earned a total of $6.3 million to do the right thing. Some incentives worked better than others. Below you will find the results from three different school systems. Read through the results and then answer the questions that follow.
- In Dallas, 1,780 second-graders from 22 schools were paid for reading books. They were paid $2 per book. The average student earned $13.81. The results showed that paying kids to read dramatically boosted reading comprehension scores.
- In Chicago, 4,389 ninth-graders from 20 schools were paid $50 for A's, $35 for B's, and $20 for C's. The average student earned $695.61. The results were mixed. Kids cut fewer classes and got slightly better grades but scores on standardized tests did not change.
- In Washington D.C., 3,495 sixth, seventh, and eighth-graders from 17 schools were paid $100 every two weeks for attendance and behavior. The average student earned$532.85. The results were positive. Rewarding attendance and good behavior seemed to improve reading skills.
Answer one or more of the these questions:
- What motivates people to learn?
- Should students be paid money as a reward for getting better grades or reading books or simply for showing up at school?
- Would you get better grades if you were paid money for A's, B's, or C's?
- Would you continue to do better once the reward money was taken away?
71 comments:
I think that most children in schools across America would love to get paid to do things that they are normally expected to do in school, such as, getting good grades, reading books, and even showing up at school. I do think that schools should pay their students for these things because some families don't have enough money to pay their bills or even get gas for their car. If students got paid for regular school resposibilities, they could most definitely help their families economically. However, this could possibly mean major budget cuts for schools and the value of the doller could decrease because the government would have to make more money to pay all of the students. Although this could sound like a wonderful idea, there are surely some flaws within it. I think that the government should give all the schools a choice whether or not they want to pay their students for good grades. This reminds me of a practice C.M.T. prompt that I had to take because it was on the exact same subject and it included the same question as this blog.
Numerous things motivate people to learn. No one person is the same and cannot be driven by a specific, individual object/idea. Desire to learn is maintained over a lifetime. A person’s education is not based on years spent in classrooms; it is based on a persistent yearning to maintain a continuous natural learning environment. Endless aspects come into play when trying to figure out what motivates individuals. I think it really depends on that student’s background/family life, goals, personality, etc. In an article posted by the New York Times, it says, “For some people the best reward of all is the work itself – the challenge of an engaging job. For some it is the interaction with other skilled team members. For some it is the intellectual gratification of addressing and solving a knotty problem.” Everyone has a different mindset and students who love to learn do not depend on classrooms for knowledge; they develop a learning style that is in harmony with their learning personality; creating learning tools that work for them. Others might need a little push or two to stay on the right track and some people never have the aspiration to succeed; we (the school, parents, peers, etc.) should try to guide students, but it is not our life, it is theirs. An article written by the University Of South Carolina states some motivation theories, “Acquired Needs Theory: we seek power, achievement or affiliation. Attitude-Behavior Consistency: factors that align attitude and behavior. Attribution Theory: we need to attribute because that supports our ego. Consistency Theory: we seek the comfort of internal alignment. Drive Theory: We seek to satisfy needs. Endowed Progress Effect: Progress is motivating. Expectancy Theory: We are motivated by desirable things we expect we can achieve. Goal-Setting Theory: different types of goals motivate us differently. Intrinsic Motivation: internal: value-based rewards. Positive Psychology: What makes us happy. Self-Determination Theory: External and internal motivation.” There are infinite ways to motivate people to learn, all you have to do if find that one way for you. This reminds me of the Rachel’s Challenge assembly because the topics are kind of similar; everyone is unique and people have to find out who they are and what the best way might be for them to live life to the fullest.
Would you get better grades if you were paid money for A’s, B’s, and C’s?
I think that I would get better grades. A lot of people don’t like to admit it but people do generally do better when something is in it for them besides a better education. But I don’t think this will make that much of a difference on students grades. An example of this is in Chicago. Students were paid money for their grades and they got only slightly better grades. It also says that the scores on standardized tests did not change. So like I said before there was not much difference, students just got money. A connection to this is during the ASAP play, the director has the actors memorize a certain number of lines and if they perform it correctly, they get candy; a lot of people do memorize their lines in the play for candy since they enjoy it. This is just like getting paid for good grades because people like money just like candy so they do try to do as best as they can.
Would you continue to do better once the reward money was taken away?
I think that I would continue to do better because I would realize that my life would be better if I keep up the good grades. Even though it would be nice to have everyone keep trying to achieve good grades, I don’t think that every single person would. I think this because they would not care. Not everyone has the energy and thought to be trying there hardest in school to achieve better grades, but they might have more when they get paid, so when the rewarded money is dropped they probably will go back to their old habits of not caring. I think students will also not do better when it is dropped because they will realize that their test scores have not changed much if they even changed at all.
If I was one of the kids in Dallas or Washington D.C. I would be very motivated to go to school and work hard. Money would most definitely motivate me. I can also be motivated by thinking of my animals and play sports. Yes they should get paid because in Dallas results showed that paying kids to read dramatically boosted reading comprehension scores. If I was paid money for getting grades of A, B, or C’s. I would make do work more efficiently. I would not do better if the money to work was taken away. By being paid to do well, I feel it helps me the value of money and help be have a better life. I agree with Molly about getting money for good grades.
I think that students should not get paid for good grades because it will lower the cost of money. It would also raise taxes because the government would have to make more money. The students would start to cheat because they would want the money. This would cause bullying for money, also. Students might even sign up for more classes then they should to make more money. There would be a loss of money and one dollar would not be worth one dollar anymore. The value of money in the schools would decrease. Overall, it is not a good idea to pay students because it could cause school funding disasters.
Personally kids around my ages would love to get paid for doing things because most of us need money for after school activities. I also think it's a good idea for kids to get paid for gettings good grades because they'll try harder in school, get good grades, and the kid will also get money out of it. My Dad pays me around 50 bucks if i get at least a B in a few classes, if i get an A then I get $100, As a girl i love money, i love going out and buying things i don't really need, so that's why earning money for doing good things and getting good grades would be good for me, aslo; it's really hard to get me motivated about some things because i procrastinate a lot so getting money is actually a great thing for me. I probabaly wouldn't do better because for me without motivation i don't get anywhere
I think students should not get paid for good grades, attendance, or behavior. Students should be acting good already without being bribed. Kids only want this for the money instead of learning. If schools stopped doing this students would probably stat doing bad just to have the program (or whatever it is) back to get more money. I do not agree with this idea in the slightest.
I am answering the question: Would you continue to do better once the reward money was taken away? I think that it depends on the aspect that the school was paying for. The results showed that paying for attendance and books showed improvement, but paying for grades showed little on Standardized Tests. Suppose the school was paying for attendance and books read. If a student’s comprehension grew, then it wouldn’t matter if there was money. They have grown, and it isn’t likely that their comprehension would shrink. But if the school were paying for grades, it could matter. A student might be very smart, but not really have a motive to do well. The money offers that good motive. But once it is taken away, the student once again has no inspiration. They’ll slack off and do poorly. This reminds me of the prompt we wrote about on last year’s CMT. Our prompt was basically to convince the school board to or not to pay students for grades. While there were reasons to go pro, there were more reasons to go con. The statistics from this prompt make me more convinced not to pay.
I think that anyone would try harder in school if they knew they were to be paid for higher accomplishments. I know I would. Honestly, money means 'life' to a great majority of people. If slacking students knew that with high grades like A's and B's would get them $35- $50 for every test or quiz, grades would soar. Kids would study more, show up for class more often, and do their homework every night. Do I think payinf kids for good grades should be a standard process? No. Why should our financially depressed country start wasting money on paying kids for their academics? The only way that would make sense to me would be if a group of students used their knowledge to find a cure to cancer, or something along those lines. Otherwise kids are getting rewarded for grades they should already be earning themselves!
If I were to be paid for good grades, I would not try harder because I already try my hardest to get a good education. The point of school is to teach students, not pay them. The points to quizzes and tests are to see if students know the material. I study because I want to be able to know the material. Paying students will change the reason to go to school. It is also unfair. What if someone has a learning disability and has trouble with the material? He won’t get paid for something he can’t control. That student would be left out. That sounds very unfair.
As Liam said, I’m sure students would love to get paid for things they are already expected to do. However I do not feel this is a good idea. Yes it would give some students motivation, and yes in all three examples being paid did show to help students at least somewhat. But schools are already facing budget issues and paying students wouldn’t exactly help that problem much. Also in cases like Washington D.C. where students were paid simply to show up, that’s not exactly going to motivate kids, just because they show up doesn’t mean they are learning. At least in cases like Chicago students actually had to put in a real effort to get the money. But regardless, money is not the answer; there are other types of motivation such as extra field trips, parties, etc. I mean don’t get me wrong I’d love to get paid just to show up to school, but it’s not realistic. Some schools are extremely large; it would be difficult to pay every student. Also in the long run, it’s probably not going to help the student’s learning. I’m almost positive that once the reward was gone, things would go back to the way they were before. This reminds me of one of the practice C.M.T. prompts; however the prompt was whether or not *parents* should reward students for good grades. That is a completely different story, that would be the parent’s choice, they would decide what behavior is meant to be rewarded and what the reward would be.
The question I am answering is: Would you get better grades if you were paid money for A's, B's, or C's? Personally, I think some of the students would do better if they were paid, but maybe they don't want to admit it. I also think it might be a little unfair. The reason I say this is because some students already have good grades, so some students might get paid more than others. It was also said that Psychologists warn that money can actually make young people perform worse by cheapening the act of learning. This could also affect the schools. If they give money to the students, they could be just throwing away money the school might need. Why would they just handout money to students, when the school might really need it? I also think the students might not really need the money either. This is why I don’t think students should be paid.
#2
I do not think that students should be paid for reading books or reading books. This is because even some teachers that are uncomfortable with this say that this is what they should be doing so they don't have to be paid. Also, with all of this money being made, the kids could use it for bad things like drugs. Besides, the school could probably use it for school needs like textbooks or technology. But I think most importantly, it could make kids try less. Even psychologists say that the kids grades may worsen.
A connection I can make to this is when my mom was yelling at my brother because of his report card. No it wasn't bad, but because it was good, he wanted a reward and my mom answered that this is what you should be doing. So that is why I don't think the kids should be rewarded.
Personally, I really don't think that students should be paid for learning, attendance, and grades. This is because, they would be getting paid to do something that they are supposed to be doing in the first place. Plus, if we are going to spend great sums of money, it should be spent on something important or useful. In my opinion, bribing kids to learn is not useful. I also don't think it's as important as other things such as helping the disaster survivors in Japan. This reminds me of the prompt we got, about the same topic. And still, my position is the same. I disagree with paying kids for good grades.
I think that students should get paid for reading books and showing up at school. I think that because I know that many kids do not enjoy reading. While others are often absent or show up tardy. Every kid our age always wishes for money so they can go to see the new movie, buy a cool shirt, or even start saving for college. As Liam K. said, "America would love to get paid to do things that they are normally expected to do." Another reason I think that getting rewarded for reading and attending school is good is, it shows kids what it is like to have a real job. My connection is that in the real world adults have to work hard and then they earn a paycheck. When they work hard they have to do what their job requires, but they also have to go to work almost everyday. If they don't do those things they won't be rewarded. It is the same for students in Dallas and Washington they did a requirement, reading, and attended school so they got rewarded. If schools do this then kids will be well prepared for the future. That is why I think that schools should pay students for reading and attendance.
I don't think that students should be paid for getting good grades or reading books or showing up. I feel like this because its really not fair. Imagine if a student didn't study at all and got an A and if another student studied a lot and got a C, it wouldn't be fair to reward the kid who didn't study or do any work, and not reward the kid who studied. Yes, the grades were a lot higher in the statistics, but that was for second graders, when the ninth graders were paid for their grades their standardized testing results were the same. Also, where would this money come from? I'm sure most homeowners don't want to pay more taxes just so students could get paid for good grades or reading more or showing up at school...I know that I wouldn't want to if I was an adult. I agree with Griffin and how he said that kids could be using this money for anything. If a teen who already has clothes and video games and whatever they need makes fifty dollars for every A, they'll have a lot of money, really quickly. They could spend the money on anything! Even drugs or alchol. Parents and teachers are also uncomfortable with paying students for grades.
My connection to this is that I get a reward for my good grades. Schools are thinking of doing this, so the two are related. The difference is that it is MY parents decison to do that, its not mandatory, like it would be if schools decided to do that.
After reading the results from the four schools I do not think that students should be paid for getting doing the right thing in school. I think this because it is the students choice how well he wants to do in school. Also it is the student’s choice whether he wants to get a good education. Also it would cost the country a lot of money just to try to make the student come to school or to get good grades. Giving student’s money to get good grades didn’t even work for everybody and it did not change scores on the standardized tests. Also once they stopped paying the students for getting good grades they would drop because they wouldn’t be getting anything for it and they were before. A connection to this is when somebody get fired from their job and can’t find another the government pays them for being unemployed. They are related because people are getting paid for something that could easily put the country in more of a depression than it already is. In some cases they are paying the people without jobs or the student for something that they might not need. That is why student should not be paid for getting good grades.
I don’t think people should get money for getting good grades, or coming to school, or reading. The cons outweigh the pros. Sure, I would enjoy getting paid for good grades, but I don’t think it would do me good. I might help at first, but I agree with parents and educators, that it would eventually wear off. I also know people who get excellent grades without cash, you would basically be giving them money. Also, if you want people to read, there are much better options than giving them money. How do we know that they aren’t reading picture books, and getting money for those? There are much less expensive options to consider, such as the reading logs.
Also, if high schoolers don’t want to go to classes, they are only hurting themselves.
It makes no sense that they should be paid for assisting their education. This is sort of like the draft, in both cases people were trying exotic solutions to problems, like dropping recruitment rates, and dropping grades.
Should students be paid money as a reward for getting better grades or reading books or simply for showing up at school?
I am a strong beleiver that students should not be paid for these things. I say this because for the X amount of time that the teachers do this the students will strive to get better grades. But after the teachers stop the students will most likely go back to their original grades or possibly even lower. By doing this the students will expect to be paid and if they don’t they will become upset and most likely fail. Also for just showing up for school and being paid should never be. I say this because going to school is mandatory, no one should ever be paid for that. Also reading books is mostly a enjoyable thing. It wouldn’t be fair if only some students got a reward. If a teacher wanted to reward a student for improvement they should simply just give them a little thought instead of money. Also this will most likely run the school out of money. Even though the experiments in Chicago, Dallas, and Washington D.C. did have some pro’s, I still think there should not be a fund to pat students for good grades.
Would you get better grades if you were paid money for A's, B's, or C's?
I would honestly do better in school if were paid. I say this because who doesn’t work better when they are rewarded with money. In Dallas and Washington D.C. this statement did come true. In both places their comprehension scores went up. But in Chicago this statement was denied. This is why I would most likely do better if I was paid for god grades.
I think that kids should be “bribed” to learn. I think this because test scores would go up, like what happened in Dallas. Since the 2nd graders were paid $2.00 per book, the reading comprehension scores went up dramatically there. In Chicago, however, children were paid $50 for A's, $35 for B's, and $20 for C's. The results there weren’t as good as the Dallas scores. This is a flaw with this plan. Lastly, in Washington D.C., the students were paid $100 every two weeks for good attendance and behavior. The results here seemed as positive as the Dallas results. Schools shouldn’t have to do this if they don’t feel that it’s necessary, like Liam said. I still agree that schools should have a choice. This reminds me of a CMT prompt we took, because this was about the same topic, and I had the same ideas as I do now.
I think students should get paid for good grades because it will help students to do better at school. It will also help students to study, read, and a lot more in and out of school. If I got paid for getting good grades and attending school I would be happy. As Ben said money would most defiantly motivate me to do my best in school. I always loved to have money that way I could buy like an Xbox 360 game or a new DS and DS game. Or I could save up the money that I get from the good grades for something special. I would most likely study and read more to get higher grades in every class. If I got really good grades I could have a lot of money in my wallet in no time.
After reading the results I do not think students should be paid for good grades or reading books. I think this because students should be doing their best. It would change the reason kids go to school from learning to making money. As soon as the money is taken away from them they will go back to their original grades or even worse. Think about it if a student is paid for good grades throughout school when that student goes to collage they are not going to be paid. If this happens they won’t be motivated enough to get good grades. I also think the school could be using the money for better things like books, computers, and sports. I also agree with Mike what if you have kids with learning a disability or are having a hard time with the work it wouldn’t be fair to them. I think my grades might improve a little but not that much. I would definitely like more money, who wouldn’t? But I don’t think it is right to pay students for grades and behavior.
i think that every kid that goes to school would want to get paid for it.yes i would try to get better grades if i were to get paid for it because if i got paid i would have something to look forward to at the end of the year. i think that i would still try to do better even if they were to take away the reward but i think i would try harder if i got paid for working hard.
Most kids including myself would love to get paid for good grades and behavior. I think if out school tried out this experiment we would all get much better grades. Why do i think this? I think this because money is a strong motivator like it or not money is what people want. If that gets us good grades why shouldn't we get paid for our school performance? They only problem that would result in this test is once the students stopped getting paid they would not try as hard, however, I know that these actions would help students to prepare for the future. It all teaches one simple lesson; you work hard you get paid. THis reminds me of when my sister used to be an unpaid intern the offered to pay her for a while then stop. After they stopped paying her she didn't feel the need to work hard anymore.
I think that students should not be paid for good grades or reading. I think this because getting good grades build you in life. As a person you should have that you should always try to do your best, you should be paid for doing extra things. It may raise tests grades in Chicago, but when they are done with school, then what? Will they get paid in collage? Like Joseph said, it is a student choice if they want to go to school or get good grades. If they don’t want to do their homework, and if they don’t want to study for tests, it is there fault. And giving them money might not do anything! They could not care at all, even if money was involved. You would be throwing away money!
A connection to this is when you get paid for a job. This is somewhat the same because you are getting paid for something that you are doing. But in this example, they are getting paid for a good thing that they are doing. But in school, they would be getting paid for something that they should want to do.
I think that students should not be paid for good grades or reading. I think this because getting good grades build you in life. As a person you should have that you should always try to do your best, you should be paid for doing extra things. It may raise tests grades in Chicago, but when they are done with school, then what? Will they get paid in collage? Like Joseph said, it is a student choice if they want to go to school or get good grades. If they don’t want to do their homework, and if they don’t want to study for tests, it is there fault. And giving them money might not do anything! They could not care at all, even if money was involved. You would be throwing away money!
A connection to this is when you get paid for a job. This is somewhat the same because you are getting paid for something that you are doing. But in this example, they are getting paid for a good thing that they are doing. But in school, they would be getting paid for something that they should want to do.
Based on the information I read, I feel that students should still not be paid for doing well in school. There are many reasons that I think this. One would be the fact that it would be paying the students for doing something they should be doing either way, as Olivia D said. Students in the past and students now are fine with learning in school. I can say this, because if they really weren’t, there would be some kind of riot or resilience by the kids. Yet, this hasn’t happened so far, so this shows that no changes are needed. Another reason why students shouldn’t be paid for doing well in school, is that our economy is bad enough, and adding that to our plate would be nearly impossible. With trying to pay our numerous American students, approximately 55,000, would be an absolutely unnecessary use of our money. That money could be going towards more important things, like creating more jobs for the adults who need the money to keep their whole family stable, where the kid would most likely use the money for something like a new IPod, or other unimportant things. As you can see, if we were to use the money to pay students for doing something they are supposed to be doing anyways, then we would be practically throwing it away. This reminds me of when I asked my mom if I could get a reward for getting good grades, as some of my friends were getting. She thus told me that I shouldn’t, nor should any kid be getting a reward for getting grades, because the good grade was a reward enough, and that I should be getting it any ways for it was expected of me. That is how I feel about the topic.
I’m not sure if students should be able to get paid to get good grade or not. I think that it is a good idea because doing this would most likely make the kids do better at school work and attending class. Bu this also might not work because they still might not want to anyway. Also I think that to motivate people to do something or get good grades you would have to give them something good or do something for them. I think personally if you were to give anybody something that they wanted or were a good thing it would make a lot of since to keep doing it. Also a thing that I noticed in the information that was posted to look at, it said that the students in Dallas were being paid two dollars a book. And the average payment each student earned was 13.81 and how this can dramatically boost their comprehension skills. I think that if students were rewarded for good grades and then that was taken away the kids would might do badly again because there wouldn’t be anything that was boosting their confidence, or getting good grade was a good thing to them.
I think that students should be paid for doing well in school. One reason I think this is because your grades are the one thing that help you get a good life. If you get bad grades then you will not be motivated in the future to do well and have a good life that you were once probably dreaming about. However, if you do well then you can do other things that you couldn’t do before like travel the world and get a job that you love and also get paid really well for. Another reason is because in the experiments that were taken most of the students grades went up when there was a reward involved. For example, at schools in Chicago students were paid for getting A’s B’s and C’s. The experiment shows that on average kids got almost $700.00 just for getting good grades.
I agree with Kristine K. When she says, “Every kid our age always wishes for money so they can go to see the new movie, buy a cool shirt, or even start saving for college.” I agree because how many times do you ask you parents if you can borrow money. All the time! This way you don’t have to get money from your parents you can get money from doing well in school. Another reason why I agree is because sometimes when you are on a trip out with your friends to the mall or a store that you really like you will have money and can get what you want and not have to feel disappointed because you don’t have money.
A connection to this is when I do work around the house I get paid a certain amount. This is like the article because they both show that when you work hard at something then you can get a reward. Also if you keep working hard at it then you can earn more responsibility from your parents and they will be more generous in what they let you do. This is why I think that students should get paid for their good grades and behavior in school.
Should students be paid money as a reward for getting better grades or reading books or simply for showing up at school? I think that students should not be paid for getting good grades or reading books and definitely not for just appearing at school. I say this because there are other ways to reward students, and for other reasons. What I mean is that students would go to school no matter what because they know if they didn't they would fail and stay back. But, if you started paying them just for that then they would soon take advantage of you and ask to be "rewarded" for grades, doing their homework, reading books, and even doing projects. All things they would have to do or get a zero. Being paid would just really be ridiculous, I think anyway, because you're wasting your money. So why do it?
As Liam K. said, some kids would love to get paid for good school work. So should we pay the students? No. I believe we should not pay students for good grades. Think of a scenario of where there is a child doing well in school, he/she gets paid for a good report card. Where does he go with his money? There are many terrible things money could buy, things such as drugs, alcohol, or even sex (Pending on age) It is proven that most kids begin drinking in their early teens. This is much like the two year-old baby who smokes two packs of cigarettes a day. He is barely able to speak, let alone make decisions about his own health and safety. Paying children for good grades would be a mistake. It would simply lead to bad habits and poor health.
Should students be paid money as a reward for getting better grades or reading books or simply for showing up at school? I think that students should not be paid for getting good grades or reading books and definitely not for just appearing at school. I say this because there are other ways to reward students, and for other reasons. What I mean is that students would go to school no matter what because they know if they didn't they would fail and stay back. But, if you started paying them just for that then they would soon take advantage of you and ask to be "rewarded" for grades, doing their homework, reading books, and even doing projects. All things they would have to do or get a zero. Being paid would just really be ridiculous, I think anyway, because you're wasting your money. So why do it? My connection is that when ever my sisters get on honors they just expect money from my grandma. It didn't always used to be like this;in the beginning it was a surprise she just started giving them money for doing good. But now they just don't care just right away when they see that they're on honors its "can we go to grandmas?'
I personally feel that paying students for good grades is a great idea, but i think it should be the parents rewarding their students not the school. I believe it is ridiculous to pay students to read. Reading should be part of your everyday life not just something to do to get an award. I also think that paying kids for showing up is also a bad idea. Some students may do extremely well in school but get sick often. Other students might be extremely poor (as in academic wise) students who get money for showing up but not paying attention. Student doing things that should be expected every day for money could lead to bad habits. Students may think that school work is a waste after they leave one of those rewarding schools into one that doesn’t. I feel that if a parent is paying for good grades it is a great idea. The parents can decide on how much money to reward and what the grade has to be. I feel that getting a C which is an average grade and being rewarded for it isn’t that great. Students will think that getting average grades will be all they want in life. Students ,ay feel that being average is the way to go.
One question I am answering is: Would you get better grades if you were paid for A's, B's, or C's. In my opinion kids would get better grades in school if they were given a cash reward. I know I would try harder if it ment I could get more money. But for the other question: Would you continue to do better once the money reward was taken away, I don't really believe students would still try their hardest. From my own personal experiance, I have learned that if you don't try your hardest without a reward, then you DO try your hardest with a reward; after the reward is removed things will return to the way they originally were. Kids like money. I am a kid, and I like money. If you are going to pay me for something I already have to do, I might do a better job at it. But, there is a chance someone else might not. I don't think you should "bribe" kids with money, because after you take it away their grades might fall.
The question to ponder is: Would you get better grades if you were paid money for A's, B's, or C's? In my point of view, personally, I would try my absolute best to get better grades in school if I knew I was going to get paid for doing them! But, would they continue to do better when the money reward was taken away? I think not. I agree with Laura when she said "I have learned that if you don't try your hardest without a reward, then you DO try your hardest with a reward."
I completely agree with that because yes, some kids feel like they don't have to try as hard, and they start slacking off, and blowing off school work for friends, internet, and video games. Especially if there is no reward involved. Should students be paid money as a reward for getting better grades or reading books or simply for showing up at school? These things like homework, reading books, showing up to school, ect. are things that students should already do. It is their duty to do the homework that was assigned. Also, you are not even permitted to miss school if you have no reason to be excused. Also, reading books help you grow as a learner, you should be able to enjoy books on your own time, and if you even want to at all. Schools should not bribe kids, it will end up costing a fortune when really, you can be saving up that money for new school supplies and field trips. In conclusion, I don't think bribing students is the best answer. So, don't pay for something that should already be done by the student.
I do not think students should be paid for showing up at school or getting good grades. I don't think this is a good idea for many reasons. Most school districts cannot afford this kind of payout, and the U.S government surely can't. Aside from the finacial concerns, there are ethical concerns. What about the learning disabled or mentally challenged kids? Why should we pay kids just for showing up at school? It is a law that children must attend school until 16 years of age. Why are we paying people to obey the law? On top of everything else, as the report from Chicago stated, standerdized test scores did not change by paying kids for better grades. Besides, getting good grades needs to come from a personal desire to do well, not from bribes. What happens when the bribe of money is taken away? Kids will most likely just go back to the way they were before they recieved money. I think incentives work well with kids, but I just don't think paying kids to go to school and learn, something that they are legally required to do anyway, is the right thing to do.
I think that students shouldn’t be rewarded for good grades. I think this because if people get paid for good grades, it won’t prepare them for the outside world. Getting paid for good grades is not the answer. It will also make the students not try hard after a while, knowing that they have money. Also students shouldn’t get paid just for showing up for school. That’s crazy; getting paid for reading a book is also crazy because if some people like to read, then it would be like getting paid to play your favorite sport. Also if someone is just good at reading, and they can read very fluently, then it’s not fair to the people who aren’t as good of readers. This connects to last year’s CMT’s when we had to write a persuasive essay about the same topic. But on the CMT’s, I was pro getting paid.
Would you continue to do better once the reward money was taken away?
Yes, I would continue to better when the money was taken away. I think that if I got outstanding grades when I was paid, it just proves that I can do well in school. There wouldn’t be an excuse for lower grades if I had showed how hard I could work. Some students probably wouldn’t try as hard because they know that they aren’t receiving the money any more. They also might know that other children in different schools are awarded with $100 every two weeks for attendance and behavior. Without the money they may feel like there isn’t a reason to work, but I still feel that a majority of students will want to put forward the effort, so they can have better futures. This reminds me of one of the prompts that I had to write about. It had asked if students should get paid for good grades. The prompt and this blog are very similar because they are both addressing the same topic.
I don’t think students should get rewards for getting good grades, reading, or showing up at school. School is not meant as a punishment, it’s meant to help you learn and find out what you want to do in life. Students aren’t doing their parents or teachers any favors by trying hard in school, so why would they get paid? Several teachers and parents believe that students are expected to try their hardest no matter what, so why do this? In Chicago, grades of students only got slightly better and standardized tests didn’t even change. Like Margot said, they probably won’t get paid in college or in careers, so people would probably just stop trying. It says that in Washington D.C at one of the schools, an average student earned about $700, which is very expensive. Thousands of dollars are wasted on something that students should already be doing. Studies show that reading more increases reading skills. When students go out into college, and the real world, they most likely won’t get paid for reading. In my opinion, paying students for this is completely spoiling them. This reminds me of how in soccer, whoever would play really well and try their hardest each game, would earn a lollipop, like a bribe. This is like how students are getting paid to attend and try their hardest in school and read. In both situations, the people should be trying their hardest anyways.
#4
If I were getting paid to motivate me I would defiantly do better, and try harder than i actually was. I think that it depends on the aspect that the school was paying for. For example the results showed that paying for attendance and books showed improvement, except for standardized tests. If a student’s comprehension grew, then it wouldn’t matter if there was money. They have grown, and it isn’t likely that their comprehension would shrink. If students were paid they would work harder. But if the money was taking away they would probably stop working as hard.The reasons from this prompt make me more convinced not to pay.
#3
I do believe that I would get better grades if I were paid to get A's. Right now during school I am slightly motivated just for my personal satisfaction to get good grades, but I am not totally motivated. I am told by different people that middle school doesn't matter, college's only look at your high school grades, and if you are a bright kid you will be successful no matter what. When I hear these things around me I become less motivated to get good grades. The thought of money motivates anyone to do anything, so I would definitely be motivated to get A's. If I get $50 for straight A's and we get 3 or 4 report cards a year, I would be making $150 or even $200 a year. Instead of waiting for high school to start trying I would be motivated in middle school. Teachers would also have more pleasurable times with kids. A connection to this was when I was washing my family’s cars. I would do an O.K job each time, but not my best. Since I couldn't drive I wasn't motivated to wash the cars. When my parents offered me cash for washing the cars I was instantly hooked.
• Should students be paid money as a reward for getting better grades or reading books or simply for showing up at school?
I think that students should be paid in certain circumstances for good grades, but definitely not for showing up. The reward for that is as clear as a diploma, or advancement to the next grade. Students are not committed if they aren’t doing something as simple as showing up to school each morning. Paying them to do that is wasting tax dollars, especially if that student was a disruption to the class. I believe students should only be paid for A’s because that individual would be a positive addition to the community when they graduate. So really, the money we would spend on that student would come back into the system by having a good worker. Being paid for awesome grades could also turn a student’s life around. If a D-student had motivation, they could bring their grades up higher, which would eventually help them get into an excellent college, and they would be much more successful in life. This reminds me of what a boy in the freshman class told me. He said that Mrs. Homberg bought him an ice-cream every Friday and that motivation brought him up to an A at the end of the year. Plus, any money earned could be used to save for college. If students who try only hard enough to get C’s have the money, they could use it possibly on naughty things like drugs. The school could use that money on things such as textbooks or computers, things that would improve the student’s learning without money that could potentially be abused. There are also other types of motivation for these students, such as field trips or dances. In Chicago, 4,389 ninth-graders from 20 schools were paid $50 for A's, $35 for B's, and $20 for C's. The average student earned $695.61. The results were mixed. Kids cut fewer classes and got slightly better grades but scores on standardized tests did not change. I think this is because the students who got grades lower than A’s didn’t learn much more for standardized tests.
(please ignore my last posting)
• Should students be paid money as a reward for getting better grades or reading books or simply for showing up at school?
I think that students should be paid in certain circumstances for good grades, but definitely not for showing up. The reward for that is as clear as a diploma, or advancement to the next grade. Students are not committed if they aren’t doing something as simple as showing up to school each morning. Paying them to do that is wasting tax dollars, especially if that student was a disruption to the class. I believe students should only be paid for A’s because that individual would be a positive addition to the community when they graduate. So really, the money we would spend on that student would come back into the system by having a good worker. Being paid for awesome grades could also turn a student’s life around. If a D-student had motivation, they could bring their grades up higher, which would eventually help them get into an excellent college, and they would be much more successful in life. This reminds me of what a boy in the freshman class told me. He said that Mrs. Homberg bought him an ice-cream every Friday and that motivation brought him up to an A at the end of the year. Plus, any money earned could be used to save for college. If students who try only hard enough to get C’s have the money, they could use it possibly on naughty things like drugs. The school could use that money on things such as textbooks or computers, things that would improve the student’s learning without money that could potentially be abused. There are also other types of motivation for these students, such as field trips or dances. In Chicago, 4,389 ninth-graders from 20 schools were paid $50 for A's, $35 for B's, and $20 for C's. The average student earned $695.61. The results were mixed. Kids cut fewer classes and got slightly better grades but scores on standardized tests did not change. I think this is because the students who got grades lower than A’s didn’t learn much more for standardized tests. In all, students should be paid only for getting A’s.
Would you get better grades if you were paid money for A's, B's, or C's?
I would definitely be more motivated to get better grades if I was being paid money for it. I think it would be a good way to get kids ready for when they are out of school and need to get a job. They would have to try their best in school and on a job. School is a kid’s job so they should be paid for it. But I think the money they make should have to go to school supplies or saving for college so they don’t spend it on something stupid. Unless they were going to be paid for going to college too then families won’t have to spend so much money on that. I think that if the reward money was taken away, people would stop trying as much. They would go back to their old ways.
After reading the results from the four schools I do not think that students should be paid for doing the right thing in school and getting good grades. I think this because, yes they might work harder and play more attention in class but they might get worse grades just because they will still be getting money for the grades, just not as much. I agree with Alden C. when she said, “Imagine if a student didn't study at all and got an A and if another student studied a lot and got a C, it wouldn't be fair to reward the kid who didn't study or do any work, and not reward the kid who studied.” Also it would make it hard for parents to afford paying for their kids behaving and getting good grades. They would have trouble paying for the family too. This could also lead to kids being bullied because they might now be getting as much money as another student, or they don’t get as good grade as another student. With students getting paid for good grades and good behavior students might threaten others for the answers and cheat more on tests and quizzes. I also agree with what Griffin Y. said when he said, kids could be using this money for anything. If a teen that already has clothes and video games and whatever they need makes fifty dollars for every A, they'll have a lot of money, really quickly. They could spend the money on anything, even drugs or alcohol! I don’t think that once the reward money was taken away the student would keep the grades up. I think this because they might think that their parents might crack and let him/her get rewarded for good behavior and good grades.
Should students be paid money as a reward for getting better grades or reading books or simply for showing up at school?
No, I do not think that students should be paid for doing scholarly things. Even though it is a pretty good incentive to make kids want to do better in school, I don't really think it's worth it. Already, our government does not have money bulging out a bank vaults. If the government started paying kids at school, it would have to make a lot more money, which would make the value of the dollar decrease a whole lot. That doesn't sound good. Children should not be getting paid for things that they should already be doing in school. Oh, and if some kids aren't showing up to school, I wouldn't suggest a monetary reward if they did show up. I would suggest a principal to parent talk. While I was reading this blog post, I was reminded of a prompt that we did in English class about a month or two ago. The subject was whether or not kids should be paid for getting good grades.
2. I don’t think that kids should be paid for going to school, reading, and getting good grades. I say this because by doing this, it’s not teaching the students to be responsible for their own things, its teaching them only to work for money, not to actually learn something. What if a child was extremely sick? If any child doesn’t go to school because they are sick, that means that they aren’t going to get paid for that day. If kids knew they weren’t going to get paid just because they are sick then they will be upset and go to school anyway. For example, if one of the students had the flu and didn’t stay home because it would mean not getting paid, then they would go to school and the others students would be at high risk for getting sick. Another issue at hand would be the fact that kids aren’t actually learning, they are just doing the work to get by and when it comes to a test the kids will just be cramming it in their heads right before they take it. If kids are just cramming it all in their head before tests then they aren’t actually learning anything, they again are trying to get by so they get a good grade and get paid for it. Another example of why students shouldn’t get paid for going to school is the real life example when the city of Chicago tried paying kids. The article said, “In Chicago, 4,389 ninth-graders from 20 schools were paid $50 for A’s, $35 for B’s, and $20 for C’s. The average student earned $695.61. The results were mixed. Kids cut fewer classes and got slightly better grades but scores on standardized tests did not change.” This is basically saying that kids are dropping classes that could help them get a future, well paid job and that by doing this they are only improving on their grades by a little bit but they are not improving on their test grades. The test grades have still been the same since the beginning. This is a HUGE reason why paying students for attending school, getting good grades, and reading is not a smart idea. Unless they want these kids to not be successful in their future, then I would not pay them. I also believe that this wouldn’t be fair to the students already doing well in school without getting paid. I say this because if kids did start getting paid then the students actually trying in school won’t get any respect as a student because everyone else will be doing well in school just for the money, not because they are trying. This reminds me of the time when a girl from a book was once paid to like a girl in school. She only attempted to be nice because she was offered money, not because she was actually trying.
Not every student or person uses the same incentive or motivation to learn. Some people’s incentive to learn can be as simple as the satisfaction and pride one can feel when earning a good grade, to as costly and complicated as extravagant gifts or cold hard cash as a bribe to earn good grades. Certainly everyone can admit that a gift or money would be a nice incentive to keep your grades up, and studies show from the past Times News article, “Is Cash the Answer”, that this money incentive does work. For example it reports that, “In Washington D.C., 3,495 sixth, seventh, and eighth-graders from 17 schools were paid $100 every two weeks for attendance and behavior. The average student earned$532.85. The results were positive. Rewarding attendance and good behavior seemed to improve reading skills.” When a student is offered money for weeks of straight attendance, they suddenly want to receive an education and pay attention in class? Even though in this case, the cash incentive proved positive doesn’t mean it’s right. It is a student’s privilege to be lucky enough to receive an education so it is their job to return the favor by trying their best in school to receive good grades. For example in the Times article it says that, “Teachers complain that we are rewarding kids for doing what they should be doing anyway.” I agree with Rachel in that, every student may not have the motivation to learn solely based on the satisfaction of receiving good grades. However students could be motivated with joint classroom incentives like for every month the whole class does their homework they can receive doughnuts or throw a pizza party. In this way they will strengthen their team work skills and will encourage their classmates to try their best in the classroom. I can connect to the situation of giving of incentives to motivate students to learn. Whenever I receive a good grade, I feel so proud because I know I deserve that grade based of my hard work. However this feeling only developed from others telling me, “Good Job” or “I am so proud of you!” I relied on others to tell me that the work I did was acceptable, and I often would work so hard to get good grades because I was worried that I would let down my parents or family. In time though I began to look at good grades as something that was for me, and I less often looked at others to tell me whether or not to be proud of my work. My situation connects to the idea that everyone’s incentives that motivate them to learn are different. For example some use actual material things as a motivation, or look to the assurance and praising of others. This is my connection and thoughts one what others use as an incentive to learn.
I believe that there is no one thing that motivates people to learn. People are all different and each and every one of us learns in our own way. So we are all motivated by different things. Whether it’s your family or just to do well to create a better future for yourself, everyone has their own ways that they are motivated. It also depends on your background and goals for life. For example, if you grew up in a poor area and had parents who didn’t even finish high school, you will probably not be motivated to learn. But if you live in a family of doctors, you will probably be motivated by them and their expectations of doing well to get an important job like that. Kids may also have different levels depending on how well they do with the work. If a child is struggling with the work, he may not have to motivation to learn because he gives up on himself. In the end there are a lot of factors that draw different conclusions that show that each person has their own things that motivate them.
I do not think that students should be paid as a reward for doing the work, reading, getting better grades, or just showing up to school because this can cause many problems. Like Mikey T said, the point of school is to educate the students, not pay them. If kids are paid, it will for sure make a difference in students’ grades. Whether they slack off since they get money, or try harder for the money, it just turns the whole situation into more of a job. While adults are not paid to come to work, they are paid a salary for their work, it reminds me of this because students are now paid for almost everything they do. This would take away the meaning of school. Kids come to school to learn the information and do their best at it. If they get paid, I would imagine the school systems will become more of an unrealistic lifestyle. For example, if students were to be paid for reading, one student may spend their whole week just reading to get the money. This would cause the student to not do other homework and lose the purpose of school. Another example is if students get paid for coming to school, then they might just come when they’re sick to get the money for coming. This is unhealthy for both the students who are sick and for their peers around them. While paying students may increase some grade point averages, what will happen if the schools stop paying them? Will the stop trying? Also what about the disadvantages for people who have disorders or learning disabilities? They won’t get paid because they don’t have the ability to change who they are. That’s an unfair way to go about things. Those are some big reasons why I do not think students should be paid as a reward in school.
Question 1:Well what should really motivate people "students" is themselves and if the school want to pay the kids then they should make the amounts smaller. Question 4: For me I would continue to try and do well. But for other kids they might not want to work harder if they won't get the rewared they are used to. Another point is if the kids get a lot of A's and B's then the school could over spend and go into debt.
I don't think people should get paid for getting good grades, coming to school, or reading. I know that in school, I am expected to do all of those things. I think of it as my job. I don’t need to pay the bills, so I don’t need to get paid for what I am expected to do. I think some students would like to receive money for those things, but when it comes down to it, they don’t really need it. All of those kids just need to accept that school is for their own good, and it is a privilege to be able to attend. Also, our economy is not the best; imagine if kids were paid at schools. Our nation would be even more of a mess. This blog reminded me of the prompt in English class a few months ago. It was, “should kids be paid for good grades?" It is similar because they both ask about kids being paid for things they are expected to know.
Would you get better grades if you were paid money for A's, B's, or C's? in my opinion I think that getting paid for doing well in school is great. In personal experience i get rewarded for good grades and it only makes me want to do better.Some people or children in this case cant do well on there own it wont hurt to pay them its like a pep talk without the talking. This is also a good way to train them for the future because they will know to make it in life you have to work harder. Some kids may like the feeling of a good grade and after a while would not need money for a good grade all they would need is a great report. Awards are a great way to get kids that don't care for school to care even if they mostly care about the money the colleges that see the A's on his records wouldn't even mind to know that he/she was getting paid. If this was real I bet the success rate of students would go up by thousands.
Should students get paid for getting good grades, attendance, and behavior? The reason that kids should get paid is it motivates you. Who does not like getting money? You just have to be on time to school and get good grades. Do think that schools should pay their students for these things? Yes I think they should because some families don't have enough money to pay their bills or even get gas for their car. If students got paid for regular school responsibilities like Liam said this could possibly mean major budget cuts for schools to pay all of the students. So I think that is sounds great but it.
I don't think student should get paid for good grades. It is you yourself that has to push yourself to do well in school. If you do this you will create a great future for yourself. After awhile students would also say we have money we can slack off for a little while and possibly fail. What would happen then? I agree with Alden C. when she said, “Imagine if a student didn't study at all and got an A and if another student studied a lot and got a C, it wouldn't be fair to reward the kid who didn't study or do any work, and not reward the kid who studied.” In every school yes the students started getting better at reading,but the standardized testing scores stayed the same. Also what if you are getting paid in middle school and then suddenly you get to high school and that all stops? Would students still be motivated? I think it is completely the students choice on how they do in school. I don't think teachers should bribe students with money. I think the student should do well because they want to. This relates to my soccer coach always saying im not here to always push you. He says you to do it because you want to.
What motivates people to learn?
I think that various things motivate people to learn. After researching the subject, I learned that each person has something different that motivates them. As seen in studies done by different schools all over the world, some people are motivated by rewards like money. In a few schools they paid students for good grades, and they grades went up. Though the grades went up in some schools, the results were inconsistent. This proves that paying a student 50 dollars for an A, is not the way to motivate all students. Often, parents are strict with their children because they feel without good grades, their future is not bright. They put a lot of pressure on their children, which makes the kids strive to succeed. As Rachel C. said, "I think it really depends on that student’s background/family life, goals, personality, etc." Your background can deeply influence you. I believe that many people just have a passion for learning new things, and are always looking for information. Others want to learn so they can truly be better at what they're doing, or because they like the subject they're doing. For example, if you love to learn about science, naturally you're going to study a bit longer for a science test than a math test because science holds your interest. This reminds me of something that happened at play practice a few days ago. The director promised candy to those who memorized 15 lines by that rehearsal. Though she kept true to her promise and brought in candy for us, not everyone had memorized the mandatory 15 lines. Just because you promise one student 50 dollars for an A, it doesn't mean that student is necessarily going to get that A. I think that everyone needs to discover their own motivation in life, so they can succeed.
I think that students should get paid to do school work such as reading and actually showing up to classes. I think this because many kids don’t enjoy reading. By paying these students, they would read more often and find a book that they like. In the article it said that “The results showed that paying kids to read dramatically boosted reading comprehension scores.” Paying kids for doing good work gets them more use to how life will be when they grow up and get real jobs. I do think that there should be limits to the money that the students make. I think that the parents should keep some of the money that students make so that they don’t buy unnecessary supplies with it. But I also agree with Kristen when she said that kids can see a new movie and buy things for themselves. Kids should have the right to earn money for their hard work in school. A connection to this topic is that parents work everyday to pay for their children’s needs. Parents get paid by doing their jobs. I think it would be good for children to learn the value of money, and one way of doing this is buy paying children for their school work.
I think if kids were paid in school for participating, reading, and having better attendance then there would be an improvement in all of these places. Also if a student got paid more for higher grades I feel that they would be more driven and motivated to do their work and they would do it with more precision and put more effort into everything that is graded. It gives people the sense of responsibility and independence when they can make some of their own money and as a teen that is exactly what they want. If students were paid for what they did and at what level they would always strive to do their best. Also if one of your friends was putting in more effort meaning they had more money and could buy and participate in more things you would probably want to be able to also instead of feeling left out. So you would work harder in school so you could be able to have fun with everyone else. Another reason this would be good to get paid for school and would make people work harder is because it could allow kids who don’t have a lot of money to be able to do things that they’ve always wanted if they save up. For example in many places now it is hard to find a job and there are probably not many for teens and if their parents didn’t have a lot of money they could never afford to buy something new or go somewhere but if they could make their own money they could provide new experiences that they never even could have had. I think though once the reward money was taken away and students stopped getting paid for work they would stop trying as hard. That is because they would then feel like they are working in a normal job without being paid. They would become accustomed to getting the money once it wasn’t there they would feel like they had no incentive. They would probably feel like a slave doing work with what they would see as no reward because there so no money involved. Even though the education its self is important they would probably start to view school as just a place to get money like a job.
I think that students should be paid for getting good grades and behavior in school. Firstly, the data shows that when students were being paid for getting good grades, they cut fewer classes, got slightly better grades, and when good attendance and behavior was rewarded students seemed to have improved reading skills. These are all very positive things to have in a school system and can benefit the students, as well as teachers. By motivating these students with money to do better in school, they will begin to develop better study and social habits that teachers try to teach them. Sometimes students just need the extra "push" to grasp the concept, though. I believe that overall students would start to try harder in school if they knew they would be rewarded, I know I would! Students need money... and getting paid to do schoolwork would be a good way to earn it. This reminds me of a book I read where a girl was paid to be friends with a kid that had just moved in to the school. At first she only did it for money, but later she actually became friends with the girl and said she didn't want to be paid anymore. This siutation relates to the schools paying students, because once they are given that "push" to try harder in school, they will pick up the habits on their own when the money stops coming in.
I am very strongly against paying children for doing well in school, or even just showing up for school. It seems odd because I am a student and of course it's nice to get paid, but rewarding kids with cold hard cash for something they should be doing anyway, doesn't make sense to me. I believe that if you give kids money for homework or god test grades, you are conditioning them to believe that the reward is the only thing that matters. On the flip side of that, not getting money might not be a big deal to kids, and they would think of failing or not completing work as simply not getting the reward. We should be teaching kids that grades are about more then just pleasing others and being compensated; they are about learning life skills and information that can help you later in life. Good grades should be about preparing for the future. That's something that, even without pay, kids often forget. I also think that pay would make school seem like a literal job. I don't think any kids wants the pressure of a career when they are still in middle school. We shouldn't force kids to mature too quickly. Let them be kids and have fun; they are still preparing, not putting anything into practice just yet. Another big reason that adults should be against this is because, if you pay kids, you have to get the money from somewhere. Therefore parents have to pay higher taxes just to fill their kids pockets. If a parent wants to reward a child at home for chores and such, that's a person, family decision. But school shouldn't get involved in things like this. The whole scenario reminds me of when I was in preschool. Back then, teachers would give us candy for answering a question right or paying attention in class. The difference was that, being much younger, it actually helped us to focus on the lessons. And you can't exactly go out and spend candy. Overall, paying kids for good grades or attendance or participation just isn't a wise way to set the tone of school. It's better if kids learn because they want to, not because they're looking to make a quick buck.
I am very strongly against paying children for doing well in school, or even just showing up for school. It seems odd because I am a student and of course it's nice to get paid, but rewarding kids with cold hard cash for something they should be doing anyway, doesn't make sense to me. I believe that if you give kids money for homework or good test grades, you are conditioning them to believe that the reward is the only thing that matters. On the flip side, not getting money might not be a big deal to kids, and they would think of failing or not completing work as simply not getting the reward. We should be teaching kids that grades are about more then just pleasing others and being compensated; they are about learning life skills and information that can help you when you are older. Good grades should be about preparing for the future. That's something that, even without pay, kids often forget. I also think that pay would make school seem like a literal job. I don't think any kids want the pressure of a career when they are still in middle school. We shouldn't force kids to mature too quickly. Let them be kids and have fun; they are still preparing, not putting anything into practice just yet. Another big reason that adults should be against this is because, if you pay kids, you have to get the money from somewhere. Therefore parents have to pay higher taxes just to fill their kids pockets. If a parent wants to reward a child at home for chores and such, that's a personal, family decision. But school shouldn't get involved in things like this. The whole scenario reminds me of when I was in preschool. Back then, teachers would give us candy for answering a question right or paying attention in class. The difference was that, being much younger, it actually helped us to focus on the lessons. And you can't exactly go out and spend candy. Overall, paying kids for good grades or attendance or participation just isn't a wise way to set the tone of school. It's better if kids learn because they want to, not because they're looking to make a quick buck.
I do not think that students should be paid money to learn. This is because it, in a way, skews their morals. If students are bribed to do well in school they lose the lessons of integrity that come with working hard in school to learn and because it's morally correct. Also, it teaches the next generation to be motivated by personal and selfish gain alone. Without money many students are driven by accomplishment, encouragement, and a drive to learn among other things. All of these motivations can be carried on after school and can craft a student into a selfless and hardworking adult. With money being the only motivation, students learn to only do what is good for them, thus making the future a dog eat dog world. The statistics have shown that paying students for attendance and behavior showed an improvement in reading skills, and that in Dallas, "The results showed that paying kids to read dramatically boosted reading comprehension." But what good are reading skills and improved grades when the supposedly brilliant mind graduates and then only uses those skills for their own purposes? Also, paying students for good grades could give them the impression that they should not do anything for anyone else without being paid. In this way, students who presumably do well would feel entitled to money for accomplishment, and thus will not amount to anything with material incentive. Hypocritically, though, I know, I believe that some of these incentives that are offered should be offered, but only in the right circumstances. For instance, many Californian students have occupations to provide money for their family, and thus cannot always go to school. If said student were to be paid, it would allow them to go to school and help support their family at the same time. Although it is not the best way to go about promoting learning, in these cases small portions might be good. Otherwise, though higher average grades are tempting enough, paying students for achievements is not the way to go. I could compare this to scenario to that of the ancient Greeks. During the ancient Greeks' reign, there were many philosophers and thinkers. Socrates, a particularly famous one, took on large questions and searched for answers because he wanted to, not because he was paid to. A group of youths are often depicted surrounding him. These students wanted to learn to do exactly that: learn! Currently we are facing the problem of motivation. If students were taught from the beginning to learn just to learn, rather than for candy or praise, then we would not have to face the decision of whether to pay students at all for good grades. Why shouldn't we be as motivated as the ancient Greeks?
Question 2: Should students be paid money as a reward for getting better grades or reading books or simply for showing up at school?
I do think that students should be paid for getting good grades, reading books, or just showing up for school. One reason I think this is because it will motivate students to learn and they will be excited for school. For example, if a student was failing school and not showing up, and they heard that if they did well and showed up at school they’d be paid; that student would start to show up and stop failing because they had motivation. Also I agree with what Kristine K said “Every kid our age always wishes for money so they can go to see the new movie, buy a cool shirt, or even start saving for college.” I agree with this because it teaches kids how to work and manage their money so they can be smart with it when they reach adulthood and start to have a real job.
Question 4: Would you continue to do better once the reward money was taken away?
If the reward money was taken away I think that most students would stat to perform at a lower level than they did with the reward money. For example, if I was a student that was earning A’s because I needed money, and if that money was taken away from me I wouldn’t really have any motivation anymore. Thus causing my grades to drop. Even if you were an excellent student before the money rewards were starting to be given out, your grades would sill drop because you would have gotten used to being rewarded like that! That is why I think that students would not continue to do as well if the money rewards were taken away,
There are many things that modivate students. one thing could be prizes such as money, candy, little toys etc. These things modivate the kids because the enjoy these things, so to get them they have to work for it. But i dont think under any circumstances that the kids should be paid for these. This is a connection because we did this essay in 8th grade about a month or so ago. Kids should no be paid because then they will be greedy, and that would not help education. And they will take advantage of the money. Theses are why kids should not be paid.
I think the thing that motivates students do their best is inspiration from the teachers. Inspriration from the teachers makes the students feel like someone is there to help. On the other hand i do not think students should be paid money for getting grades because it would be very unfair. I say that it is unfair because if one student gets the subject more than another and they both take the same test and one gets a good grade and the other a bad grade then the other student would be paid. I dont think it is money that motivates students to get good grades but the motivation from the teacher. Although there are some schools that pay their students for good grades and attendence i do think it is unfair. I would do my best to continue to do as best as I can without the money being involved because its not that important to me.
What motivates kids to learn?
Each person has different needs and wants in life. Money is something most people want, but, is not always #1 on their list, or even wanted at all. As Olivia O. said, “After researching the subject, I learned that each person has something different that motivates them. As seen in studies done by different schools all over the world, some people are motivated by rewards like money. In a few schools they paid students for good grades, and they grades went up. Though the grades went up in some schools, the results were inconsistent.” For some people, money would motivate people to learn, for others things like food, activities, or simply free time will work just as well, if not better. I think this proves that it depends on the person to know what motivates them. A connection to this I had was that in Mrs. Maher’s class, we get tickets for a raffle if we get answers right. This seems to motivate students, and proves my point.
What motivates kids to learn?
Each person has different needs and wants in life. Money is something most people want, but, is not always #1 on their list, or even wanted at all. As Olivia O. said, “After researching the subject, I learned that each person has something different that motivates them. As seen in studies done by different schools all over the world, some people are motivated by rewards like money. In a few schools they paid students for good grades, and they grades went up. Though the grades went up in some schools, the results were inconsistent.” For some people, money would motivate people to learn, for others things like food, activities, or simply free time will work just as well, if not better. I think this proves that it depends on the person to know what motivates them. A connection to this I had was that in Mrs. Maher’s class, we get tickets for a raffle if we get answers right. This seems to motivate students, and proves my point.
I dont think it is right for schools to bribe students. I say this because if you bribe a student then they are not doing there very best. If you bribe students with a prize like extra credit for doing something good that is okay but if you bribe a student that if they get all A's they will get an $1,000 reward it is not. I say this because the student would be distracted by just wanting the $1,000 that they might not even pay attention. If you bribe a student with a prize like candy that is okay. I agree with Luke W. when he says, "Kids should not be paid because they wll be greedy, and that would not help education." In my opinion I think getting paid for doing well in school is not okay. If the school pays the kids for getting A's, B's, and C's the school might run out of money and go into debt. This is why I think schools should not give out money as a reward of getting good grades.
The question being asked is “Do you think that kids should be paid for good grades?” I think the answer to that question is No. I say this because parents and schools are going through a tight money loss. We are all part of a recession that should not be taken lightly. Students should not be paid for grades because it seems that if we keep paying them for reading a book or getting good grades, what are we to do when they grow up, graduate and expect money for the rest of their life. The money could be going towards collage funds and life expenses. What if a student is not doing well in school and is receiving a grade average of D, do they expect money? What about the no child left behind act? Do we leave that child to defend themselves and not to be proud when they earn 10$ for reading a book? Isn’t that going against what every teacher wants for their students a sense of pride and a good education? I think that being paid for grade is not only a waste of money but also a bad start to a child’s life.
1. Would you get better grades if you were paid money for A's, B's, or C's?
I think that no you wouldn't get better grade if you were paid money for A's, B's, or C's because when a adolescent does in school work consist of getting a good grade not earning money. Getting bad grades should show how they need to put more effort in the subject. I feel as if by giving them money they will just settle for less because if you get a C you get 20 dollars off the bat. They are still getting money for why do ore work just to get 15 more dollars. It is a two way street for students, they could settle for less and not exceed with their talents or they could just for money. If they do it for only money then in college they will not adjust well to their new environment. They will not earn money for just having an average grade or a excellent one. That will be a difficult adjustment because they would be so use to not putting a lot of effort in to needing to do really well without being bribed with money. This really reminds me of a CMT writing test that was asked the same question, “ Should students earn money by getting good grades?” I answered the same way I did now. Many people consider this idea but I feel that it will not be to their benefit.
I BELIEVE STUDENTS SHOULD BE PAYED FOR GETTING GOOD GRADES. I THINK THIS BECAUSE STUDENTS WOULD BE MORE WILLING TO TRY HARDER. IF YOU HAVE MOTIVATION THE ODDS ARE YOU WILL DO BETTER. FOR EXAMPLE IF YOU WERE TEACHING YOUR DOG A TRICK AND OFFERED IT A TREAT I THINK IT WOULD OBEY YOU SO IT COULD GET ITS REWARD. ALSO I BELIEVE THAT WE COULD ALL USE A LITTLE EXTRA MONEY IN OUR POCKETS.
No, I think students shouldn’t get paid for good grades. Because then students would want the teachers to keep giving them money like more than they would get. But the students should be thankful for what they have for a grade instead of just getting paid for nothing. Another reason to all this is because it will be unfair to the students who doesn’t get a good grade on a test.
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