cash for good grades

[jackman]

(not so) quick question. lol. i just had someone question me today about a deal i made with my kid this past grading period in her school.

she is acting 10yo (b/c she is) and had a bad marking period. she had Bs and Cs in some of her classes. the rest were As but she knows better than to bring home average grades. so, i told her for each grade she raised to A, i would give her $20 into her little bank account to do with it what she chooses (half of which she can spend on herself, half donate). i told her for every C she raised to a B, i would give her $5. she asked why the big bump, i told her b/c As are THAT important.

i suppose she told her classmates, b/c she earned a good chunk of cash this last period by raising almost all of her lower grades - mostly to A, but some to B. her classmate told their parents which told the teacher that they didn't agree with me doing that.

my first point is kiss my ass and raise ur own kid. my second point is, i'm not rewarding her for something she should already be doing. well, maybe i am, but in the process, she's learning more and that's the ultimate goal.

so, i thought i'd look for opinions of what you guys thought about this idea. it's not like i'm a principal rewarding kids for it, this is a private matter between one parent and his kid. would you advise against this practice? just curious.

[Paul the Human]

Whatever works to get your kid(s) to study harder and learn more is a good idea, if you ask me. Kudos to you for the success.

[Faith No More]

Well, I can tell you this. My parents demanded the absolute highest standard of grades, and I rarely got so much as a 'good job' for living up to it. I felt that they were lying to me about the importance of grades, because the only time they seemed to be important to them was when I wasn't doing well. Parents are quick to punish kids for bad grades, but when you don't reward for the good ones, it sends mixed messages about the importance of these grades.

[jackman]

Whatever works to get your kid(s) to study harder and learn more is a good idea, if you ask me. Kudos to you for the success.

thanks paul. good man.

---

Well, I can tell you this. My parents demanded the absolute highest standard of grades, and I rarely got so much as a 'good job' for living up to it. I felt that they were lying to me about the importance of grades, because the only time they seemed to be important to them was when I wasn't doing well. Parents are quick to punish kids for bad grades, but when you don't reward for the good ones, it sends mixed messages about the importance of these grades.

same here fnm, my parents were tough. you're right tho, that (no reward) seems to always be the case - even after school in work. lol.

[Violet]

If you never reward a good job... there's a possibility that it could go the way it went with me: simply to stop doing anything. Easier than working for nothing with no foreseeable benefit in the future

I don't believe teachers enjoy dealing with someone who aces their tests and doesn't do any homework And I know that parents don't enjoy feeling completely unable to get their children to do any schoolwork.

[Minimalist]

There are so many distractions for kids these days that you do whatever it takes to keep them focused.

[jackman]

vaeolet, point taken - in the context of eventually having them not do anything. i would doubt that applies to you, as you "sae" [sic] it does. :-)

minimalist, absolutely man.

[Erinome]

My son is almost 8, he's the only one I have that's in school, but all my kids know the rules.

I tell them, "See all this wonderful stuff you have right now? A hacked Nintendo Wii with thousands of video games at your disposal, a television to play them on, a smart phone, a DS, a bike, a scooter, etc... all you have to do to keep all these things is behave yourself and make good grades. Failing to behave and/or make good grades will result in drastic change in lifestyle, in which you will be provided with food, clothing, a bed, and a desk to study and nothing more."

My son is an Honor Roll student, and hasn't brought home anything less than an A/B this year, but he is in his second year of 1st grade. I held him back because he did have some behavioral issues, but really, he was just not mature enough to advance to second grade. He did learn the hard way that behaving yourself is the of the utmost importance, as he spent the majority of last school year in his room with nothing to do but read. I do reward him for good grades by allowing him to have many luxuries. Some times it does take them a while to realize you're dead serious, and consistency is vital.

If his final report card puts him on the honor roll, then he will have made honor roll every semester this year and he will be getting a big reward for that. I was going to go all out and get him a computer of his very own, but he has requested that I buy him a trampoline for the back yard instead. He loves to jump, and with as much energy as he has, and has successfully held in for the duration of this school year, it only seems natural that he would want that instead.

[Violet]

vaeolet, point taken - in the context of eventually having them not do anything. i would doubt that applies to you, as you "sae" [sic] it does. :-)

How long must you have lurked to make that joke?

I can probably find a report card somewhere here to show you all of the Fs and Ds and Cs

[jackman]

^^ i read much more than i speak.