Attendance Rewards

[mickeyboat]

Denae, I think you would really enjoy the book I recommended earlier. It discusses not only school rewards but incentives in the workplace and in corporate-government relations...it's just a really interesting book.

Thanks, I might take a look.

 

[chamonix]

If your boss says to you "I will pay you an extra $500 to do a certain task for me after work today." do you think it will be a fun task? Or do you think, "if he is offering me $500 to do it, it must be really horrible. "

Not necessarily. If it was something fun, or something I enjoyed, I wouldn't suddenly decide it sucked just because I was being rewarded for doing it. That's just silly. If my boss asked me to wash his dog, for example, I would think "Score! I love his dog, she's so sweet! I'm getting paid to do something I would have done for free, Cool!". I don't suddenly dislike his dog because he's going to pay me $500 to wash her.

As you can probably tell, I don't care for Alfie Kohn's philosophies. I have seen them discussed numerous times on other parenting boards I go to, and I have to say while rewards for "regular" things for kids is out of hand, Mr. Kohn's POV on why and what to do about it aren't mine.

Heck, I agree with the post upthread that asked what are they giving the valedictorian? But as for the attendance rewards (that apparently aren't for attendance, but for simply being registered and attending at least once to get a chance/ticket for the reward? What the heck is the point of that?) anyway, I think attendance awards are stupid. If nothing else, it's not fair to the kids with chronic medical problems or illnesses that aren't any fault of their own. If we're going to reward them, how about with good grades (lol) and for something that is under their control and that requires actual work and dedication.

 

[leafette]

I have issues with the award programs for attendance. It encourages people to send their kids to school sick, which helps spread it around to others. Not to mention, even if you're tardy one day - even if you're 1/2 late to school because of a doctors appointment - you're knocked out of the running. It's a program with really unreasonable expectations.

I agree, and it also upsets the KIDS if they have to be out for an illness. My daughter had a serious bout of pneumonia this fall and missed 10 days. She cried and cried that she wouldn't be getting her attendance prizes this year.