I think this idea of paying students is a little bit crazy. My first question would be how much of a difference did this actually make on students grades, absences, and behavior? Even if it was extremely successful my next question is where is this money coming from? Is this coming from tax payers because I can not imagine that they are going to expect the public school systems to hand out this money when they are already in trouble. I also find it hard to believe they would give these students cash. I think it would be more productive to give these students money towards a college education such as a grant or scholarship. This way at least the money they earn is put towards there education in the long run. I still think the idea of having money as an incentive really would be teaching the kids the wrong values. What they should value is the education itself and not the money.
Then in reply he posted:
Hey Tiphanie,
First, thanks for stopping by...I love your idea about putting any incentive cash towards a college scholarship. That could be a good middle ground in this debate.
Your question above has me thinking, though: Sure a kid SHOULD value an education above money. Spoken like a true teacher.
But the truth is that's just not the case. There are TONS of kids who don't value an education at all. And in the poorest communities, the lure of quick cash is WAY more motivating than the intangible benefits of an education.
Should we ignore that motivation just because it doesn't feel right to us?
If our goal is to motivate students---which is a fun little cliche that we love to sling around in education---why are we judging some motivations as good and other motivations as bad?
I agree that paying kids for grades makes my skin crawl, but so does seeing thousands of dropouts every year. Maybe it's time we start to figure out what DOES motivate kids---even when those things don't represent motivations that we value----and tap into them.
Just thinking out loud here.
Bill
I posted again after this but you can check out the link to see the video and everything. :D
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