Sit for a moment, sip from a glass of water, and re-echo this question. Should kids get paid for good grades? But this time, make it personal, “should my kids get rewards for their hard work?” “Of what effect would it be to them, the family and society?” When you must have asked yourself these questions, close your eyes and take a deep breath. The truth is, at this point, your journey into wonderland begins. You will see the opposing sides of it. Such sides as peer demoralization, ego, effects on the academic standard will come to mind. However, also think of the positive sides to it. Encouraged hard work, values, healthy competition, trust, and pet project funding can be got.
A widely held notion is that kids should not receive payments for good grades. It is generally believed that good grades on grade sheets are enough payment. Several reasons form this school of thought.
Paying kids for good grades could lead to peer demoralization.
When either parents or school management pay kids for good grades, it demoralizes students with lower grades. A few kids in a class are paid for making high grades; it leaves other kids dejected. At such times, such demoralized kids begin to shy away from academic activities. This is owing to the celebration of a selected few. Please think of this, all of a sudden, your child starts withdrawing to themselves. This could be an intelligent child whose circumstances had deprived such luxury; how would you feel? You would feel sad because your child had been wrongly judged. That same way, if unguarded, the kid may likely vent their anger on others.
When a kid is paid for good grades, they feel superior.
When you are not careful enough to guide your child, getting paid for grades could ignite their ego. It will be disastrous if your kid faces this alone. When a child gets paid for good grades, they sometimes see others as dullards and inferior. This leaves them with the feeling of superiority over other students. Now let me ask you this question, wouldn’t you feel better than other kids if you got paid?
Academic standards reduce when kids are paid for good grades.
It is noteworthy that people have a deep craving for money. This avarice can get them into doing unthinkable things. Now, when you pay a kid for doing well in class, others would desire to be paid. Whatever means they devise to get that money may not be the actual goal of education. This could increase the rate of cramming to pass and other examination malpractices.
Despite all that has been stated above, kids deserve to be paid for good grades. Paying kids for good academic grades do a lot and for them. It also ripples to their surrounding environment. Why then do kids deserve to be paid for good grades?
Paying kids for good grades encourages hard work.
There is this saying that “one good turn deserves another”..” when a good act is rewarded, it calls for a better act. When that better act gets a reward, the best comes. Let’s see it like this; you sign a huge deal, and your boss rewards you with a raise or promotion. Instantly, you feel a surge of victory and fulfillment and zest to perform even better. That’s the same way your kids would think if they were paid for a good grade in school. You see them working extra time, cutting off unhealthy habits to earn more rewards. You may even discover that it has a positive effect on how they handle their chores. This is because they would want to round off those chores and get on with their academic work. So, it is not a bad idea if children are paid for getting their academic jobs done.
It is somewhat encouraging that a child’s effort is rewarded. That child wouldn’t see their intellectual effort as futile. But there will be this overwhelming passion for doing even better than the best. This is also because they would want to make their parents proud.
Values are taught when children are paid for good grades.
A kid who is paid for their good grades will always reward good deeds. They will understand the value of hard work and continue to be hardworking. There is this injunction for you to “train up your child in the way he should go.” When that child grows up, that value grows with him—growing up in a society that recognizes and rewards hard work encourages hard work and nation-building.
Paying kids for good grades challenges other kids.
As a teacher, you will ordinarily discover that an applauded kid raises two applauded kids too. When one kid gets a good reward for an action, the reaction is that others want to be like them. They all want to get praises, so they ally with the ‘good kid.’ It is more like a chain reaction; it runs into the next person. When this happens, you discover as a teacher that your class becomes highly competitive. Healthy competition is good. By so doing, you cause a rippling effect of contagious success in your class. Your pupils or students start developing more interest in their lessons. With that, academic success becomes the hallmark. This considerable success will reflect on the larger society as brighter students are churned out. This will also birth a competitive spirit towards societal development.
Kids who get paid for good grades tend to trust the system more.
Study kids who have, in one way or another, received payments or rewards for their performances. You will discover one common trait among them – trust in the system. They easily trust the system that rewards their hard work. They even go the extra mile to protect the image of that system. Now, if your child gets a scholarship from the government, wouldn’t you save her idea? You definitely would because you are a beneficiary of that system. When your child receives this constantly, the child sees every reason to join the government’s network; your child would want to be in the government. Or, at least, uphold the tenets or founding beliefs of that government. As that kid grows, the foundation of trust built begins to harden. At a point, that trust becomes indestructible because the system remains consistently so.
Paying kids for good grades helps finance their pet projects.
When your kid does well in his/her field and is rewarded, he or she infuses it into his or her pet projects. Your kids are more financially advantaged to carry out their pet projects if paid for good grades as they fulfilled if they can handle such projects single-handedly. With these projects, innovation is encouraged. More science and technological ideas are birthed and possibly materialized.
To this end, what is your opinion on the question, “should kids get paid for good grades?”. Let’s have your ideas in the comment section below.
