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Would You Pay Your Kids for Good Grades?
By Virginia Prescott on Monday, February 18, 2008.
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Getting your kids to study can involve begging, yelling, maybe even threatening punishment – sometimes to no end. Often, even the best and brightest kids don’t feel like dealing with school work. That’s why some parents (and school districts) are offering money to students who get good grades. Word of Mouth host Virginia Prescott speaks with parent and blogger Elisa Batista about the relatively new trend of trading cash for grades. Elisa writes for the website Mother Talkers.
We want to know what you think of this. Would you pay your kids for good grades? Have your parents ever paid you? Leave your comments below.
UPDATE: 3/7/2008: The New York Times just ran a story about New York City's attempt to raise test scores with monetary incentives. Click here.
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Word of Mouth is all about what's new. Online and on-air, the show takes the latest ideas and trends from every aspect of our culture and puts them under a microscope. Word of Mouth covers everything from healthcare and the environment, to technology and the internet, to books, movies, music and TV. The show airs Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon and is hosted by Virginia Prescott.
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Now that we're all in our twenties and thirties, my father likes to joke "Don't f___ up."
But when we were kids, he always used positive reinforcement. His tactics were rigid and stern while my mother played the proverbial good cop. I can't actually imagine growing up in a household where the parents encouraged me via stipends or threats. For me as an adult, I can see the lineage from grade school performance to career performance, and the feeling of a job well done trumps a few extra dollars on most occasions (I am fortunate enough to say all occasions at this point in my life).
I think it is this positive reinforcement that is why I strive to do my best at my job, volunteer and involve myself with the community. I tend to look at money as a reward for sacrificing eight hours a day, but that priceless feeling of accomplishment comes from a little hard work.
So, no, I would never pay my kids to perform to the best of their abilities.
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