[Lorraine123]

My daughter's teacher uses money as a motivator. Its fake money, however, the kids earn it through the week for "good behavior", having homework done, agendas signed by parents, being polite, etc. Then on Friday, they go shopping at the class store and buy stuff like stickers, plastic toys, whatever.

It urks me because no where is there any intrinsic reason to behave. I mean, should we really be paying our kids to be polite??????

So last night, we told our daughter to set the table for dinner and after she was done, she wanted to know where her money was. I told her to get real, you don't get paid for being a contributing part of the family.

So, what will these kids grow up to be like. I'm sure this type of reward system works in the classroom, but I'm worried about long term. I mean where in real life are you paid because you showed up prepared???? Some things are just expected.

[leaabc123]

People get bonuses at work all the time for doing well, etc. We get paychecks when we do what is expected.

But I can see your point as well.

[frida_94601]

I would discuss this more throughly with the teacher and parents and maybe suggest a different reward system...

[Lorraine123]

Lea,

I thought about that too. And yes, you are correct, but it seems extreme. Its like being pulled over when driving and the police officer handing you a $20 bill for not speeding. KWIM???

I guess it also bothers me because kids are so materialistic today, and this just confirms it for them.

[JoEvans]

I see you point.. but I also see the teacher bribing the chidlren to behave. Unfortunatly, children think they should be paid for everything. Been there, done that.

Does your child(ren) get an allowence? just curious. Sorry if I overstepped my boundries.

[leaabc123]

DP and I disagree on this front all the time. I believe that when our kids are older, allowances should be tied to chores. She doesn't agree that they should be "paid" for chores. So, we'll see what happens.

I definitely see your point, just wanted to bring a different perspective to it.

it would be funny if a cop did that thought, a lot more people would slow down. There is that insurance company commercial that is "rewarding" good drivers with discounts now.

[JoEvans]

on another note: What about the school system drives me nuts? I think that they don't help the children that are struggling all that much. In my opinion , of the school system in my county/state is it is slow compared to other school systems that my children have gone to.

[Nicole28]

I'm currently in my Junior year of college and I am an Adolescent Education major with a concentration in English. I just started student teaching in a 9th grade classroom and let me tell you, I have a whole LIST of things that drive me nuts:

Someone needs to explain to young people that, when it comes to clothing, LESS ISN'T MORE. Some of the girls in my class dress extremely provocitavely (sp? ha, I'm an English major and can't spell ) and the REALLY scary thing is that some of my 15 year olds look OLDER THAN I DO...I'm 21, I have a pretty "womanly" body but I think I must have a "baby face" because some of these girls (granted, they wear a ton of makeup, ugh) could probably get into a local bar if they tried, they look THAT much older than they are.

I admit that I swear sometimes (I'm trying to give it up for Lent! ) but every other word that comes out of the kid's mouth is sh** or, even worse, the dreaded F-word. I also hear young men calling their female peers the B-word, which I find extremely offensive. And this just isn't in the hallway between classes - it's in the classroom when I am teaching. What the heck?

Finally, these kids (okay, not all of them, but I'd say the majority, at least in my classes) have NO parental support at home. It's so frustrating!

Here's the thing: THE SCHOOLS DO NOTHING ABOUT THESE THINGS. The administration and teachers seem to turn their heads as if the issue will go away if they ignore it..seriously. I'm not yet a teacher, I have barely a year of in-classroom experience under my belt, but I seem to have a better grasp on reality than the teachers who have been there for 20 + years. Kids need BOUNDARIES. Most of my kids don't have rules or structure at home, and I feel like this is all the more reason to provide these things at school.

The other issue - budget cuts. The first things to go are textbooks, teacher's aids, (necessary if you have a child with special needs!) and music/art programs. I end up spending about $100 PER MONTH on supplies for my classroom, whether it's supplementary books or other supplies, and I shouldn't have to do that.

So...why do I want to be a teacher again?

[lucyjoy]

My child's school has done away with parent teacher conferences. Instead, the school sends a note that says my child and I can show up at anytime and my son will show his work to me and discuss it. No teacher involvement at all. Funny, I thought that's what I did at home with my child everyday after school. How exactly will that help me determine any ongoing educational needs or problems in school that my son might be having?

My 3rd grader gets worksheets and reading assignments but nothing that requires any thinking or planning on his part. Not sure I see the point.

And rewards for behaving? I don't get that either.
Lorraine-I'd have asked where my payment for dinner was or replied that dinner was the payment for setting the table.

[ajjhmf]

A couple of things spring to mind here. (Actually, more than a couple, but I'll start here. LOL )

One of my problems is teachers using sweets as motivation. J's old teacher gave out Hershey's kisses for getting correct answers, doing good work and following the rules. Well, that's all well and good for some, but we really limit sweets here and J reacts pretty strongly to too much sugar. J already stood out a ton in class, so he would have felt even more isolated in class had I said he couldn't have any. :/

My biggest problem though is when you try and talk to them about your child's issues, even providing doctors' and therapists' reports, yet they brush you aside and don't listen too you. Then come back and say your kid is a behavioral problem who needs medicated, when you've sent 1/2 an inch of documentation about his emotional issues showing that what they say is not the problem. It's like if your child doesn't fit their mold, then they don't know what to do. Sad, because they are really missing out a having a great kid at their school too.

Jenny

[bjolly]

what drives me crazy about the school system? for starters, I live in a city where the public school system is collapsing. We are fortunate to have a local public elementary school which is calm, and safe, and where the children can learn, thanks to dedicated staff. However, they are ridiculously underfunded. Last year my daughter had a workbook that another child had written the answers in the year before. When the teacher is out, there is no money for a substitute. They just put the kids in with other classes. A few to a class, so that my daughter might not even be with her own grade if the teacher is out. And last year there was no gym class for the entire elementary school. No gym teacher.

In spite of all this she has learned and made progress. Her teachers care, and work hard to make the school a good place. They try so hard with the few resources they have, and we've been lucky to have this school.

For next year, we're not so lucky. The middle school that my daughter is zoned for is one that has been in the news repeatedly for things like fires and violence, students out of control and the building in a state of disrepair. In the years since No Child Left Behind was passed, it hasn't met its yearly progress goals once. Because of this, we have the right to transfer her to another school, but they can't guarantee that they will have a spot for her elsewhere. And if they do, we won't know where until July.

So we have been looking for a private school for her. The problem is the admissions process. Our daughter is bright. But she moved to 4 different schools in her first 5 years of elementary school, and has some gaps in her education because of what she's been through. She's gained 2 1/2 grade levels in the year she has been iwth us. We are so proud of her. When we apply to private schools, do they see all that? It feels like all they see is that she has a hard time with fractions and long division. And they see that she was suspended once last spring, and think "oh...behavior problem." Never mind that she was adjusting to a new home, that she has had no other behavior problems at school in the past year, and her teachers all describe her as a delight to have in the classroom.

We've applied to four different private schools. Now we're struggling with whether to apply to the local Catholic school. We worry that her test anxiety and low self esteem will cause her to score low on their admissions testing. And we worry that they're going to refuse her because we're a same sex couple. I want to tell them that we're not going to hold any gay pride demonstrations in their parking lot. We just want our smart, sweet, beautiful daughter to go to school somewhere where the heat works, and she won't have to worry about being beaten up, and there are textbooks.

So what drives me crazy about the school system is that in America, where every child has a right to a free public education, we shouldn't have to go through all this, just to get those things for our child.

[qs mom]

Frankly, I think money and candy as rewards is appalling.

My son's class has a clothspin system for behavior that I like and it works fairly well.

All the kids have a clothspin and they start on green. They're first behavior issue means that the child moves their clothspin to yellow. Yellow means "watch out", but is not construed as bad. From there it goes to orange - they lose 5 minutes of center time, then pink - they lose 10 minutes of center time, then to red - CALL MOM!

I think what works is that it is an immediate consequence. My son has to get up out of his chair and move his own clothspin. And it doesn't reward good behavior, but rather discourages bad behavior. Which I totally agree with. And the consequence is something they care about - center time/free time.

His class does have a reward system for doing homework. He has reading homework everyday. Mom has to sign that it is done. If mom signs, he gets sticker. XX of stickers means a trip to the surprise box. Which has like $1 store toys. He got a little kaliedescope thing.

I hate when a teacher/principal doesn't listen. The principal last year talked down to me. She knew kids - my kid - better than I did, because she's taught for 30 years and my son's adopted and I've only known him a year. It took tremendous restraint not to smack her in the face.

I don't even want to go near the issue of half dressed kids - girls and boys alike. Oh, and when did it become ok to wear pajamas in public? If I see one more girl in a teddy type top or flannel 'lounge' pants, I think I may SCREAM!

[J.Ro]

Good old behaviorism in the classroom.

I'm a Montessori teacher, on occasion for a special treat I will employ behaviorism, but their are no losers. For example, the kids do a timed multiplication test, there are teacher given goal times if they choose or they can pick their own goal time. When everyone has met their goal, we go and get pizza together. But there is choice, not much pressure, and the kids feel in control of the outcome.

There's a great book called "Punished by Rewards" by Alfie Kohn. It's all about this carrot and stick philosophy of both parenting and teaching. His premise is that by being rewarded it takes away any internal motivation, in essence, punishing that motivation. Interesting read.

Education is such an interesting field and so many changes are needed all over the country. It is an area that so many people are vested in that it's no wonder there is this constant push/pull of initiatives and dictates. No ready answers, just stay involved as parents.

[rindava]

the only year we have had it....we started the year out with nothing though.....I don't really like it (and it costs me about $8 per week to buy things for the store)

What happend was I had this student who grew up in foster care, was in the care of someone who rents a bed to him (nice way to put that....) anyway this kid was out of control and is now in a more restrictive environment....but part of the federally mandated regulations to get him to the other program was to implement a positive behavior plan (BIP) which by city wide rules had to include some kind of token economy....it had to be age appropriate thus the money .....at first we had many levels....now we have good box, okay box, and no box since the kid is gone from our class...

There are a lot of things teacher are restricted from doing. Even to put a child in time out for 5 minutes I have to complete 2 forms explain why I took the kid's intstrutional time away. You could not have a child strong sit in class as meditiation might be considered relgious practice and you can't push that...

Some places don't want books going home. thus the worksheet homework, etc...

We will not do this money system next year as long was we don't have any child with a BIP

Man do we ever have communication with Sp Ed parents here....we are strongly urged to give them our home phone number, ect...

But regular ed parent do have limited communication with teachers....some do better then others..

I can't believe the let the kid show you his work thing though...That sounds like something they'd think up...

I think over all no child left behind is helping kids. A lot of kids are getting tutored and special ed students are getting to participate in more things then they did in the past.

Schools are a tough place for kids though.

The thing that peeves me off about schools is they promise to do something and then they don't. They always just try to stick a child into their program instead of working with that child and finding out what that child needs.

[crick]

What irks me about my kids' school system....

The overcrowding! With the change from track system back to the traditional schedule, it’s gone from a pleasant place to a zoo! It's truly horrible and they have added 2 mobile classrooms outside with plans to add 2 more for next school year. Due to the overcrowding, the schedules for recess, lunch, and specials (p.e., art etc.) are just ridiculous and way too many kids at one time involved.

For example, my 3rd grader starts school at 8:35 a.m. They work during the morning, with a snack at 10:45, and specials from 11-11:30. Lunch/recess is from 12:35-1:05. They have 2nd recess at 2:20, which is 15 min. "Free choice" time is from 3:10:3:30, and school gets out at 3:35. Hmmm....where's the balance in this schedule? When is he actually learning anything?? And since there are too many kids in the school, the schedules overlap a bit, and it's just crazy.

Beef#2 - Their tolerance level for bullying is way too high. I cannot stand the principal at our school and she really is no more than a politician. Says all the “right” things, makes a lot of promises and in the end…does nothing. Some of you might remember my dd being threatened by another boy back in Sept. At that time, I had a f2f meeting with the principal and she assured me they were moving ahead with a bully prevention education program and it was high priority. They JUST started this program last week! 6 months is a priority??

Beef #3 – We live in middle to upper middle class area. It’s assumed that if you live here, you have loads of money and of course you have tons for fundraising. They’ve done away with the door-to-door thing and ask instead that every family donate $50-100 per child to the school. For me, that’s $250-400! I wouldn’t spend that much on the door-to-door stuff for sure and at any rate, I pay a lot of taxes. We vote almost every election to increase the funding so where the heck is it going?? And really…when you look around the other areas that can barely afford textbooks, why does our school need another high priced computer or all new back boards for basketball in the gym? I choose to volunteer at the school as my contribution.

Last beef - (for now!) Our school does not have any gifted classes or programs. Armed to the teeth with tutors, programs and plans for kids needing extra help or have challenges. Great program!! But I do wish they also had one for kids that need to be challenged more. (this is more a desire than a true "beef")

The only thing that has made it worthwhile this year is that my kids all have great teachers. We did have some teacher conflicts from Aug.-Dec. and ended up moving DD to another class. Since then, it’s been great though. There are some candy rewards sometimes, but not on a daily basis and not for what I consider to be “expected behavior”.

My 3rd grader’s teacher has a great reward system where he teaches them something different at their 2nd recess or plays a new game. Right now they are learning to play La Crosse. He’s also taught them how to play chess and on nice days, they might earn the privilege of having class outside. I love this reward system and wish more teachers would do it.