Paying Kids For Good Grades
Just a quick question for today!
Do you reward or pay your kids for bringing home a good report card or test result?
Personally, we don’t pay our kids for getting good grades. I am a strong believer in learning that the grade itself is the reward along with the self-satisfaction they receive.
Now I get quite a bit of grief from my kids as they recount stories of their school friends getting money for a certain number of A’s. I just don’t believe in paying them to do something they should be doing already.
Sometimes if we are in the mood for a family outing, we will say to the kids, “let’s go out for dinner and celebrate those great grades,” but that is as close as we get.
So, am I being an ogre or not?
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POSTED IN: School Issues
5 opinions for Paying Kids For Good Grades
Angela
Mar 2, 2007 at 1:00 pm
I don’t pay my daughter for making good grades but I have promised to take her on a serious shopping spree if she can get straight A’s for the entire year. I think something like that would be tons of fun.
I don’t think you are wrong at all Char. In fact, I think it’s more about what should happen to the kid that brings home anything less than an A or a B.
In our house if our daughter brings home anything under a B she is grounded. If it’s a progress report or a quarter grade she is grounded until she brings her grade up to a B or better.
If she has a C for the semester in something then that tells us that she screwed around for the semester and she is grounded until parent teacher conferences which is a heck of a long time.
Grounded meaning: no computer time unless it’s for school work, no phone, no frivilous outings, no Friday night plans, no movies, not anything that would be fun unless it’s with us her family. :D
Now some of you might think that is too strict. I might agree with you if I felt that she was giving 110% to her school work. But when we find out there were missing assignments and things of that nature there is NO excuse.
Sometimes kids need to realize the consequences of their actions. If she screwed around in the real world she would not be able to keep her job or make a living etc. In my eyes, good grades and a college education is the difference between flipping burgers and being the next chemical engineer.
Not to brag or anything but our daughter is in the top 50 in her class and there are about 500 kids in her class set to graduate in 2009. She is in AP and honors classes and as a sophomore is already getting letters from Universities around the country.
What’s the lesson/reward here? You work hard and make good grades you succeed. You screw around and you wind up hurting yourself: hence being grounded.
char
Mar 4, 2007 at 8:31 am
To date, I haven’t had to deal with the lower than a B issue, because there haven’t been any. However, when that day comes, there will be consequences.
I am dealing with a similar issue today - my son has a project due tomorrow. It is half done. I have reminded him to finish it a handful of times. I finally said to him a few minutes ago - “I won’t remind you again, but if you do not get a good grade on the project, you will be grounded from video games of all kinds.” We’ll see if that motivates him at all.
Gayla
Mar 7, 2007 at 9:00 am
I don’t reward my kids with $$ for good grades, but I let the grandparents do it. It’s what they like to do.
I’m not a big fan of paying kids to do chores either. No one pays me to do them, right?
I reward the kids for good behavior by purchasing items I make mental notes that they want from time to time. I point out to them when I notice them doing things that are “above and beyond” and I think those compliments go a long way.
All our kids are so different. We have two that if they get straight c’s is like another kid getting straight a’s - so rewarding for grades would get too complicated :)
Would You Pay Your Kids for Good Grades
Mar 9, 2007 at 8:02 am
[…] Char from Weary Parent asked “Do you reward or pay your kids for bringing home a good report card or test result?” on this post. […]
Rio Faulds
Jan 31, 2008 at 6:45 pm
I think that if my child has worked hard enough to get an A or B in a class then they more then deserve a reward. People respond to incentives, and I dont mean to offend but parents who do not reward their children after making an A or B are in for one hell of a time when this child goes to high school. Do you not remember your grades when you were a child?
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