In cities across the country, in major school districts, they are trying to motivate students to learn, to work hard, to achieve academically through the use of cash incentives. They're offering money for good grades, high scores on standardized tests. They've tried this in New York City, $50 for an A, $40 for a B. In Washington D.C., in Chicago, in Dallas they offer third graders $2 for each book they read. The goal is clear, to try to motivate kids especially from disadvantaged backgrounds to learn, to read, to work hard in school. Others are worried about it.
So let me put this question to the group here and see what people think. Let's start with a quick poll. How many of you imagine yourself as the superintendent of a school system that had a group of low-achieving kids, how many think it …show more content…
It reminds of a friend of mine pays his young kids $1 for each thank you note they write. I've received some of these thank you notes
And I can tell by reading them that they were written under a certain duress. My wife and I look askance at this practice. We wonder how these kids will turn out. Now, it could be that by writing thank you notes for pay they get in the habit of writing thank you notes. That was Jean's idea, so that when they grow up and no one's paying them they will have developed the habit and maybe gotten on to the real reason for writing thank you notes, namely gratitude, in which case all will be well.
Or it could turn out that they will learn the lesson that Chris and Jenny and others worry about that they will learn the lesson that thank you notes are chores, a form of piecework to be written for money and if that's what they learn when the money stops so will the thank you notes. They may find it difficult to learn the virtue of gratitude and their moral education will have been
So let me put this question to the group here and see what people think. Let's start with a quick poll. How many of you imagine yourself as the superintendent of a school system that had a group of low-achieving kids, how many think it …show more content…
It reminds of a friend of mine pays his young kids $1 for each thank you note they write. I've received some of these thank you notes
And I can tell by reading them that they were written under a certain duress. My wife and I look askance at this practice. We wonder how these kids will turn out. Now, it could be that by writing thank you notes for pay they get in the habit of writing thank you notes. That was Jean's idea, so that when they grow up and no one's paying them they will have developed the habit and maybe gotten on to the real reason for writing thank you notes, namely gratitude, in which case all will be well.
Or it could turn out that they will learn the lesson that Chris and Jenny and others worry about that they will learn the lesson that thank you notes are chores, a form of piecework to be written for money and if that's what they learn when the money stops so will the thank you notes. They may find it difficult to learn the virtue of gratitude and their moral education will have been