Should Kids Be Bribed to Do Well in School?

[monster]

It may work, in terms of getting better grades in tests, making the parents and the schools look good in the eyes of their peers, betters and funding authorities, but is it the sort of learning they need?

If they don't want to do the task, there's something wrong with the task, not the kid.

[TheMercenary]

Agreed.

[classicman]

Originally Posted by monster

If they don't want to do the task, there's something wrong with the task

... or the way the task is presented.

[monster]

I would consider presentation the part that was wrong in that case.

[Tulip]

Anyone belong in a family where there are no encouragements or rewards for doing well but only criticisms when you're not? Or simply ignored. Yeah, sad.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Yes.

[monster]

yes, I used to. now I belong to a family that does both....

[Aliantha]

Bribery works really well with Mav, but not Aden. If he doesn't want to do it, he just wont. Mav will do almost anything for money.

[DanaC]

Originally Posted by Shawnee123

Knowing what I know about you...don't you love learning for the sake of learning? I was never compensated for my efforts as a kid, but there was a fair exchange of "if you did what you were supposed to do, yeah, I guess we can swing some money for you to go to the movies."
.

I love learning for the sake of it, and I would not have been particularly motivated by financial reward as a kid ... I'm barely motivated by it as an adult :P

I was just pointing out the cultural trappings which surround our youngsters. We live in an intensely money oriented society. We expect children to grow up to appreciate that fact; it's what they will be expected to live by when they grow up.

Money as reward was never a part of my childhood. Pocket money was a factor; but it wasn't tagged to housework or schoolwork or anything like that. It was just something that came around every Friday.

They may well learn for the love of it ...but if they don't, then they're still stuck in the system learning: they don't get a choice in the matter. Some kids aren't motivated by a desire to learn. Or, rather aren't sufficiently motivated. Of course, it helps if stuff comes naturally. It helps if you're good at learning and schoolwork. Not everybody is. We make an equation in life between work and reward; but we expect children to accept that the reward is intrinsic and get on with it. having surrounded them with that message, why not take advantage of the fact that some children have learned rather earlier that work is work and not play ? Once they've reached that conclusion it is very difficult to unlearn it.

[monster]

<my kid> will do almost anything for money.

*emphasis and depersonalization mine*

NOT PERSONAL.... but is this a trait we want to encourage? Think dealing a little dope in school to make a bit extra..... it's almost legal, right...not like pushing herion...certainly wouldn't do that.... or maybe getting in trouble for a cash bet.... "twenty says you won't squeeze that cheerleader's tits and run away".... well it's not rape and she fancies me anyway and I can take her out with that money....

[squirell nutkin]

Interesting article.

According to one of the baby raising gurus, either Sears or Penelope Leach, there is a difference between a bribe and an incentive.

An incentive is a contract, if you do x I will give you y. A bribe is an offer, after the contract to get the other person to fulfill an agreement they already made or complete a task you have already requested without an offer of reward.

"C'mon, you said you'd do x, please do x like you said. I'll give you xyz if you do x..." They had already agreed to do x and were reneging. adding extra rewards is a bribe and supposedly not good for the kid nor for the parents' standing.

It is a little unclear if these kids are being bribed since their participation in school is not voluntary (for the most part).

[jinx]

My kids have yet to be graded for any school work, but I have rewarded them. Most recently for writing assignments - 1 every week, due on Fri for a treat on Sat.

edit: They get paid for housework. $10/week for 1/2 hour a day of me bossing them around. They empty the dishwasher, do laundry, vacuum, clean bathrooms etc etc... Their rooms are horrible though.

[piercehawkeye45]

I'm curious of the results of the next few years. I wonder how many kept on learning at an accelerated pace, how many went back to their normal "pre-experiment" pace, and how many now expect reward to any work and now move at an even slower pace then before?

Originally Posted by classicman

... or the way the task is presented.

I agree with this. Some teachers can easily teach two years of material into one year and some and can barely get a half of year in. Its all about how the material is presented and how well the teacher can gets kids excited about learning the material.

[classicman]

[Aliantha]

Originally Posted by monster

*emphasis and depersonalization mine*

NOT PERSONAL.... but is this a trait we want to encourage? Think dealing a little dope in school to make a bit extra..... it's almost legal, right...not like pushing herion...certainly wouldn't do that.... or maybe getting in trouble for a cash bet.... "twenty says you won't squeeze that cheerleader's tits and run away".... well it's not rape and she fancies me anyway and I can take her out with that money....

When I wrote that the context I meant was that he'd litterally do the shittiest jobs to earn a dollar. jobs like cleaning out the cats run etc and just the crappy jobs that no one wants to do.

I understand what you're saying with your post, but the flip side of that is that kids learn that if you want something you have to earn it, which is the lesson Mav has learned recently. He wanted an xbox 360 of his own to use, so I told him he could earn it by working, which he did. It took him almost half a year, but as far as I can tell, he thinks it was worth it.

I think there's a difference between kids forming their own - often misguided - ideas of how to get somewhere in life, and being a responsible parent who teaches them that if you want to get to the top you'll have to get your hands dirty first.