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Add to FavoritesLots of praise and the payment of report card money can be a wonderful incentive to a child to earn better grades. Those who argue against it may call payment for grades a bribe but a child needs to learn early to set goals for himself and be given opportunities to earn what they have. No truly successful person got where they are without having achieved a set of personal goals they set forth and worked to achieve.
All too often parents purchase yet another toy or item their child wanted just because they asked for it which has a very negative effect on the child. As a child becomes accustomed to getting much of what they desire with little or no effort on their part the more they want and the more they expect to be handed to them. The child does not learn to earn its way in the world and there is no incentive to excel at school.
When a child earns a set amount for their grades each grading period it brings a greater sense of self worth and pride in their accomplishment to a child. They have something physical they can see for all their hard work. It is very important the parent actually hand the child the money and let the child spend the money earned on whatever they want, within reason. It is usually going to result in a trip to the toy department or electronic department of a local store and that trip should be promptly made. Older children are going to want electronics, music, and the newest clothing trends. It is also good to let the child pay for the item at the cash register itself.
My granddaughter is a very intelligent child so we made her report card money a simple fee. In the beginning, much easier grades of school we set the fee at $10.00 for a straight-A report card. My mother matched the offer so my granddaughter earned $20.00 to go shopping with each grading period. She is now in the fourth grade and has never brought home less than a straight-A report card. As the school work becomes increasingly difficult and many new subjects are added to the cirriculum the fee has been changed to $15.00 per grading period from my husband and I as well as my mother.
We made the same offer to her brother, who is two years younger and a child who has had a disciplinary problem since a toddler. We made it perfectly clear to him at the beginning of each school year that the rules were the same for both children. His book grades as well as his conduct grade had to be an A or he got no money.
It did my grandson a world of good when he came home with a report card on which he had a very bad conduct grade and negative comments on his behavior to watch while his sister was paid the money she had earned for her A's. The next grading period every time I saw him he would tell me, "I didn't pull a clip today!" His teacher has a punishment system in place where each child has three clips at the beginning of the week. If they misbehave they lose a clip. When a child loses the second clip the child loses his or her recess period for the remainder of that week. On the third clip lost a note is sent home to the parents or a call made to them to discuss their child. He strived so hard not to lose a clip so he would not lose his recess period and would earn his report card money. He set a goal for himself and he was rewarded by it in earning a straight-A report card and earned $20.00 to spend on a toy shopping trip. He now sets a goal each grading period to again earn his report card money so he continues to earn his money.
As my grandchildren enter middle school where the work becomes consistently they will be given a raise in the amount of report card money they can earn and again when they enter high school.
I was brought up in the same manner with a set fee for every A I had on my report card and it taught me to set goals. This helped me make better grades than I might otherwise have strived for and it gave me a sense of pride in my accomplishments.
Use of a weekly allowance for chores done and use of report card money also teach a child they have to earn their way in life, that things are not normally handed to you on a silver platter. It also will teach a child to take better care of their belongings. A child will not take care of their toys or any other item they own when it is lavishly handed to them and they know it will easily be replaced with no effort on their part. However, let a child spend their hard earned money on something and see how precious that item becomes and how well they will care for it.
Learning to set goals, to earn their money, and hence their possessions, and to take care of their possessions are all good life lessons. So, yes! I say the use of report card money is a wonderful idea when adhered to consistently!
Learn more about this author, Ty Fillers.
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No
When your student grows up and has the ability to obtain superior employment or a lucrative career because he is well educated, he will be monetarily rewarded. In the meantime, equating good grades with opportunities to "cash in" is a mistake.
There is a psychological component to the correlation between learning and grades. When a child starts school, there is an unspoken agreement established between the educational system, the teachers and your child. The child pays attention, performs to the best of his ability and is rewarded for his efforts with grades. The child quickly realizes, the more effort expended, the better the grade. The priority is to learn; the reward is the grade.
The parents role is to use the grade merely as a reflection of the progress the child is making in his educational journey. Putting too much emphasis on grades, using rewards and punishment, transfers the grading system out of the educational arena into the realm of parental discipline.
The report card belongs to the student. It is a reflection of the student's achievement or failure. It has nothing to do with parental performance. Parents often brag about their child's grades, or become angry if the child does not perform to their expectations. A child cannot be rewarded or punished into learning. You also cannot "buy" good grades.
Once parents begin to interfere with the learning process by attempting to "control" the child's grades with inappropriate response, such as promising rewards of money, a cycle of dysfunctional learning behavior is created. The emphasis is no longer on learning to the best of the student's ability. The focus suddenly converts to getting good grades to "please" the parents or obtain the promised reward. When the reward is withheld for less than stellar performance, the child loses motivation and getting poor grades is often the resulting act of rebellion. Learning is out of the equation, as grades become a power struggle between parent and child.
Ways for parents to avoid interfering with the student's learning process, and allowing grades to be their own reward:
* View the report card strictly as a progress report. Be supportive if your child's grades indicate he is struggling. Your child's efforts are best measured by the conduct grade. If your child has good conduct, he is probably performing to the best of his ability. Contact his teacher and ask for suggestions on how you can help your child.
* Be objective. Point out how proud a child should be of himself if he achieves high grades, as opposed to how proud you are, making it clear the grade and the accomplishment belong to the child.
* Stress to the child the most important grade is always the one for conduct. If a child excels in conduct, i.e. behaving in class, turning in assignments on time, participating in class discussion, then the academic grades will truly reflect his capabilities and be the measure of his ability they are intended to be.
* Celebrate your child's achievement of good conduct with whatever reward you deem appropriate; such as, a new outfit, a desired video game, a special outing, or whatever gives the child pleasure. Always stress the reward is for good conduct.
If you have multiple children you will find the above tips prevent the inevitable sense of unfairness toward one over another. All children cannot perform academically at the same level, but they can have equally good conduct.
By starting right at the beginning of your child's educational journey allowing his grades to be between him and his teachers, and continuing in the same consistent attitude throughout his school years, you will be rewarding your child with a gift more valuable than any amount of money. You will be allowing him to possess his own achievements and sense of self worth.
Your child will grow up to be a highly productive individual, who will surely achieve great things because he is self motivated.
Learn more about this author, Carol Gioia.
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