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CTC Readers' Poll:
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"In your family, do you reward your children monetarily for good grades? If not, do you reward them in ways other than giving cash? Whether you give money for good grades or not, what is your rationale for using the system that you use?" |
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"My sons do not get
paid for grades. They are expected to do their
best and they want to do their best to feel good about
their efforts. We do go to Krispy Kreme which
gives a free regular donut for every A on your report
card. They both are in grade school." ~
Stephanie
"We have never rewarded our sons (ages 10, 7, and 5) materially for good grades. Honestly, I believe hard work, being respectful to teachers and classmates, and being kind to others are more important than what letter grades you earn. We do look through their report cards together and talk about areas that they could work harder or how they could do things differently to get a better grade next time. I'll often ask them why they think they got a certain grade and they usually know exactly why, and come up with solutions on their own. For example, my oldest realized that he didn't do well in social studies because he was sitting with a friend from his hockey team, and they were talking about hockey more than they were working on their group project. He asked his teacher if he could move his seat and did much better the next quarter. We treat report cards as simply a measurement of progress and an overview of what needs improvement, not the final say on anything. Everyone has room for improvement! My kids have never been intimidated or worried when report card time comes around." ~ Anonymous
"My
son is in 4th Grade and really struggled at the
beginning of the year. It might not be a good idea to
reward good grades with money, but when I stated that if
he got 100% on his weekly spelling test I would give him
$1, he started studying harder and has done much better.
We also have a system where if he doesn’t get 100%, he
has to give Mom back $1. It’s kind of funny because the
money that he has earned has gone right into the piggy
bank, so he’s not out spending it frivolously. When I
ask him what he is planning on buying, he mentions things
like books or an educational computer game, or even saving
it for his college fund!
"My son is 4. We counsel him if he has a bad day in school and pat him on the back for good days. To tell you the truth, I don't believe in monetary rewards for grades. I believe in taking things away for lack of effort. If he makes good grades, he'll get to do more things. Bad grades will equal working harder and less playtime. If bad grades are because of a disability or learning disorder, then I'll get him a tutor. I am sure there will be times he gets to stay up later on a Friday night at the end of a grading period or maybe go see a movie of his choice or something small as a reward…but not money." ~ Emily "We have a family celebration to celebrate good grades and trying your hardest. The child gets to pick his favorite meal or maybe we go to a breakfast buffet . We also celebrate a passing grade in a subject the child had a hard time with. We try to stress learning is important -- not just grades -- so take the harder subject and do your best." ~ Colleen "We do pay our daughter for her good grades (our son doesn't get a report card yet). We teach our children that my husband goes to work and receives a paycheck according to what/how he works. I work at home and receive a clean house, less stressed life when I do my work. At the same time we also teach our children that going to school is their job. Therefore they need to be compensated in some manner for the effort they put into their job, just as we are. We pay $1.50 per each grade above 94, $1 for a 90 to 94 and 50 cents for a B." ~ Lisa
"As
homeschoolers, we find that if we reward the
effort put forth to get a 100% on a test, the
grades will take care of themselves. If a
child gets 100%, he/she gets to roll 'the
cube." This is a simple paper cube that I
made out of cardstock. On each of the 6
sides is written a small, meaningful 'reward' -
e.g. No Chores For a Day, 20 Extra Minutes of
Computer Time, Ice Cream Cone (once a month we
visit our local ice cream shop just for these
children who have received this reward!), Your
Pick (which means they can choose), etc.
We've tried money before but found that the thrill
of 'rolling the cube' is a more powerful
incentive!" ~ Charlotte
"As a third grade teacher for many years, I'm not sure I like the idea of 'paying' for grades. What about the hard-working student who really tries but just has a difficult time with tests? These students seem to get very discouraged with their grades. I feel grades are only a means to an end. Why not reward for consistent study time each evening ? It seems 'paying' for grades could encourage cheating or hating report cards for average students. My husband, a 'C' student in school, has become an excellent elementary teacher. He relates well to struggling students and is extremely creative! He finds new ways to reach those who struggle. Some students sail right along with no effort and get all A's. I really think effort should be rewarded, not grades." ~ Joanne "Our children are adults now. We did not reward them with money for their good grades. They know they were EXPECTED to make the best grades they were capable of. However, we did celebrate with them when they did well in anything: grades, sports, tests, projects, anything we knew they really worked at. Sometimes our celebration was dinner at an inexpensive restaurant, a stop for ice cream, or homemade cake or cookies. Whatever the celebration was, we did it as a family to let them know we were proud of them, applauded their hard work, and wanted to join them in being happy about their success." ~ Donna Editor's Note: Thanks to all these readers who took time to write! |