One man said, "we shouldn't be paying kids to do
what they are supposed to do." And a professional
educator commented that instead of dangling goodies
we should show respect to the students. The next time
that professional is up for a raise, I think we
should give him lots of respect - and no goodies
(money)
If kids shouldn't be paid to do what their supposed
to do, I wonder how many kids would not get
allowances for doing the chores they are supposed to
do.
We finally have a school administrator that
understands the concept that has driven society,
like forever: "Effort gets rewarded" or "You get
what you pay for."
If you want your child to succeed how do you
motivate them? Praises and gifts right? Why is this
such a novel concept? If you do well at work you get
praise and a raise, a promotion, right? Shouldn't we
expect our children - who emulate us in every way
since birth, to value the same reward system? Good
grades are a great reward, as is praise from your boss -
but it's the money you bring home that does the trick isn't it?
The DC experiment will likely succeed big time. I am
sure it will be gradual since kids on the bottom
rung are so far behind, but I have hope that what
motivates their parents will motivate them - its the
money honey.
One problem that I see is the potential conflict
between The Teacher's Union supporting mediocre
teachers vs students who want and have the ability
to get higher grades, ergo more money. The kids will
no doubt start to complain of poor teaching skills
or lack of motivation on the part of teachers. This
will really see an upswing in the rush to get into
the best teacher's classrooms and empty classrooms for
mediocre teachers.
There are many stories of bottom rung students
suceeding through the effort and imagination of
teachers - like the Hispanic math teacher in LA who
took his students to national prominance.
There is no doubt that the kids aren't stupid - but
they are bored and seriously unmotivated by inept
and sadly lacking teachers protected by an
incompetant and corrupt union system. If the kids
are paid to learn, they will force the teachers to
teach better and this may actually decrease crime
in schools and save money.
Congratuations to Michelle Rhee!
.
2 comments:
Adults use lots of tactics, not just praise and money, to motivate kids. For example they use positive feedback: "Hey, look how well you've learned how to dribble." This makes a kid feel competent and proud. Research has shown that feelings of competence are motivating in and of themselves. In fact one researcher found that monkeys that had solved puzzles got distracted and discombobulated when offered raisins if they solved the puzzle. So let's not neglect these important kinds of encouragement.
Kathy Seal
www.kathyseal.net
Thank you Kathy for your work in this area. I do agree, as I mentioned the East LA math teacher Jaime Escalante, though not by name. There are many examples of individual teachers who are on the same page as you.
Unfortunately, I feel that as a system we are hemoraging kids too fast and need a serious jump start to get the students to take notice that something has changed.
I'm sure money and prizes are not enough in the long run, but may have a profound and life changing effect in the short.
Please check out Kathy's site at: www.kathyseal.net
Post a Comment