I read an interesting article the other day about paying children for good grades in the classroom.
This site allows students to create a profile and send out invitations asking for sponsors to pledge whatever they please for each A — $1, $10 or even more. Sponsors can also donate by subject area… giving money to students who ace, say, Organic Chemistry or Algebra.
Are you kidding me? Cash? If we made good grades we used to take our report card to Chuck E. Cheese and get tokens. I can remember my sister always got more coins than I did because her grades were so much better.
But I’ve got to wonder. Is it dangerous to pay kids for good grades? Does this set them up for unrealistic expectations in the future? Will they expect all of their efforts to be rewarded financially in the future?
What happened to kids simply giving their best?
I might be old fashioned, but I’m thinking this mentality could lead to all kinds of unhealthy extremes.
What are your thoughts?
I never paid money or bought gifts for a good report card. If my son couldn’t do his best “just because” I wasn’t going to bribe him.
I agree with you.
Although I know something my Mum and many other parents did was give us a gift depending on how well we did on our exams (Standard Grades and Highers).
Here in Scotland they have started paying kids from families with low income to stay on at school to try and encourage teenagers to stay in high school after turning 16.
Do people not realise that school is not the best way of learning for everyone?
Get outta town–kids actually try to get sponsors to pay them for A’s?!!! I thought that was called, “working hard and ending up with a college scholarship”!!!
Sometimes I reward my kids for an excellent report card, but usually that occurs only when they have been struggling previously, put in lots of hard work, and their grades improve dramatically. Then I think it makes sense. Otherwise, not a regular practice at my house.
If someone could make it where all of the money earned was guaranteed to go toward paying for college I think this might make sense. Other than that I think it’s dangerous.
I expect my children to do a lot of things just for the sheer fact of doing them well. They have chores that have no reward. They are expected to give everything they’ve got to any sport or activity they do. They are expected to volunteer and do for others without reward.
But school and grades are different for me. It’s not only learning the necessities of life, but I want them to see that in life, when it comes to learning and business, you will be rewarded (financially) for doing the absolute best. They CAN do the best and it is their choice whether to do so or not. They will have the same choices later in life, whether it be the coursework in college, or careers chosen, or how they perform. It’s not necessarily about the money – but I do want them to make the connection that what they do now will impact them for the rest of their life – their habits when it comes to study and competing with one’s self and seeing the reward that comes from that.
Do note, I don’t compensate a lot of money. They get 10$ for As and 5$ for Bs and that’s only for your core classes (Math, English, Science, Social Studies). They also only receive a VERY small allowance and are expected to put some of that into savings, some donated to a charity, etc etc. They are given what they need and then some, but have to purchase most of the the things they ask for on a regular basis themselves, so grade money is something they work very hard for and look forward to.
I grew up and hit college with no idea how to manage money, so I guess maybe I’m overcompensating for that. Who knows!?
I think this takes away the whole ‘good work ethic’ from kids. I think there are times we are required (by ourselves) to rise above and give more. I want my boys to learn that it is about serving something more than a piece of money or a perfect report card. All that they do, whether for a school grade or not, will reflect upon them. You hate to think about it, but what if they lost their job? How would they react if they had been conditioned to work only for money?
I always got things taken away for my grades…never given stuff!
My parents gave us money for As, but when I was 12 I told them that I didn’t need financial rewards to earn good grades–that I did it for myself! I was a weird kid (obviously), but I still think paying a child for something like that is setting a bad precedent. I feel like parents are pandering more and more to children and lowering our expectations. That’s not good.
We did this a little with our kids a long time ago. We haven’t done it in high school. But it was small – like $1 an A or something plus that all important trip to Chuck E Cheese and maybe KK (they give doughnuts which are much more valuable than mere dollars!). As they got older we just stressed being proud of giving your best.
My parents didn’t believe in tangible rewards (money/gifts) for good grades, and neither did any other adult relative in my family. I did get recognized for earning straight As two years in a row (fifth and sixth grades) — two plaques (one each year) and recognition in front of the student body. But as a Gifted student, it really was par for the course. I was expected to perform well! (The curse of being one of the smart kids… *wink*) Now… that did not translate over into P.E.!! Thank goodness those grades were based on participation and effort and not on natural ability!!
When I have kids, I’ll only give them tangible items for their grades if a really good grade is a vast improvement on prior performance or is unusual. I think verbal praise, encouragement, and hugs are way more important than tangible rewards.
I don’t agree with paying kids to do chores around the house but on the same token I don’t think it is a bad idea to reward them in some way for doing well at school. My parents tried allowances with us for about a month before they gave up on it and we never received any type of reward for doing well in school. I am one of 4 boys and am the only one that graduated high school.
While it may not have to be money that is the reward, I believe there needs to be some form of positive motivation that matches the child’s personality. My oldest daughter could care less about money, however, my youngest would really apply herself to get some cash. Is it really any different to give one money versus maybe a dinner out for the other? Each are rewards that are suited to the individual child’s personality.
Our parents expected straight A’s. I did it just in csse my brother didn’t. THAT would have been awesome. He always did though. So I started taking MORE courses AFTER school…just to beat him. It turns out I’m pretty smart. I enjoyed learning all those things. No reward needed.
My kids get no reward other than tons of praise for doing their best. Whether it’s a P, NP, S…whatever. They don’t give A’s anymore.
We always got some kind of reward if we got straight As. We got to choose what was for dinner one night or what to watch on television or what game to play, but I don’t ever remember getting paid. My parents were school teachers, so it was just expected that we would do our best.
Our kids already have way to many unhealthy preoccupations with the world as we know it (which is so different from how I grew up). What about teaching them the principle of hard work, effort and personal satisfaction. The reward is the good grade and deserved praise from loved ones. We are battling this with our 13 yr old right now (lack of effort producing poor grades) and we have tried many things to punish and reward her with but money has not and will not be one. The good grades will lead to monetary reward in about 15 years when it should.
With our daughter, we had never paid her for a report card. I know it may sound harsh but doing good is not a “Job”. It is expected of her. Our praise is more of an award than money. She has so far brought home straight A’s for the past 4 years and I think it’s because it makes her feel proud. Not the fact thats she is earning money to get an education.
as for chores around the house. We have a chart on the fridge with differnt things she can do around the house. she gets paid a certain for taking laundry out of the dryer, dusting, sweeping, straighting up a room and several other things. And below her list of chores is a list of things she has to pay for if she-talks back, has to be told more than once, and a few other things. Then when “payday” comes she is to put 25% into savings.
maybe giving a reward or allowance for chores, but i’m not sure about asking for pledges for good grades. you won’t always be rewarded for doing the right thing so i’m not sure this isn’t setting them up for frustration down the road called adulthood.
This is what terrifies me about American society – this sense of “entitlement” – that people, “deserve” and it their “right” to demand and expect not only financial reward, but “fairness” and “equality” in all they do. Guess what? Hard work isn’t always rewarded and life isn’t fair.
I think this trend is so evident in my generation (to a certain extent, I’m 33), but more so in the generations coming up. I look around at kids in elementary school with Ugg boots, COACH purses, $200 jeans, personal laptops, iphones, etc. – what are we teaching these kids?!? I worked with kindergarteners yesterday and already you can see that they have learned the system – “what will YOU GIVE me if I complete MY work?” Are you serious?!? I’m all about positive reinforcement and encouraging positive self-esteem, but sometimes a good dose of reality can do us all a world of good. We are not all equal – we have different talents and strengths, sometimes your good deeds go unnoticed, and a strong work ethic comes from within – not from external (money) sources. Even if man doesn’t notice, God does – work for His glory.
I could go on and on – can you tell I feel strongly about this topic?
Well, I can’t read. I thought your title was, “Praying for A’s”. I thought, yeah, I used to do that a lot!! LOL.
My parents paid us a small amount per A. We didn’t get an allowance though. The idea of asking others to pledge per A is strange, and really fits well in our new “gimme gimme” culture, but I think that parents rewarding their children with reasonable amounts can be a fun family tradition.
Here’s some older kids who are tackling this issue head on: http://therebelution.com/
I stumbled onto this site just yesterday after a harrowing trip through the rabbit trails of the web. They might be on to something!
I have been guilty of this in the past but it was when my child had been struggling and I promised her an American Girl doll if she brought home all A’s (I didn’t think she could do it!) She proved me wrong… and she got the doll. Once she did accomplish that goal, then she knew she could do it and I never “paid” for good grades again.
Being in Human Resources, I see many of our younger employees that feel like they deserve a pay raise just for showing up to work on time… even if they don’t give 100% while they are at work, if they get something accomplished, they think that is “good enough”.. we live in a culture of entitlement and I think paying for good grades only makes that worse… you should strive for good grades because of how it makes you feel to gain knowledge..
We didn’t pay or bribe our children in any way. We told them we knew they could do well, and that we would not expect them to get C’s or lower, but that if they did we still loved them. Two had straight-A’s in high school (Valedictorians) and the other was nearly all A’s. He’s the one applying for his Doctorate now. I think it’s best not to pressure them — just believe in them and they will believe in themselves.
@Sarah Valente, I used to pray for A’s a lot. I’m afraid God wasn’t listening though.
Wow, I think you are right. Taking it to this level could be extremely unhealthy. I will say, my grandparents always gave me $25 for each report card while in grade school. I don’t think it changed my belief that I was to make good grades for me and my future and not for $ but it sure was nice
Pete – you can’t just pray for A’s, you have to study, too =) We only rewarded our kiddos for good grades once – challenged our kiddos to end the school year with an A average and the middle kiddo did (can’t remember his reward, though) – and we have tried to encourage them with an end of the year trip if they do well all year, but it never seems to motivate our kiddos, so we do not stress it. I agree that if the money could go into a college fund it may be worth it, but I am not sure what message it sends, otherwise. We used to go to Pizza Hut with our report cards and get a free personal pan pizza and soda. It rocked!
I cannot believe it’s risen to the level of seeking sponsorship! I have several friends who do this with their kids and I’ve never felt comfortable with it. I agree, it opens doors to all kinds of things: entitlement, external motivations to do the right thing, greed, screwed up work ethic, lack of inner confidence and/or strength of will, etc. I just tell my kids that I expect them to do their best, no matter the letter grade. I also am wondering if these same friends struggle with the bad grades of their students because of all the other STUFF they have let creep into their homes to distract and divide them as a family. But that’s a whole ‘nother post
My kids just found out that Krispy Kreme gives kids a free donut for every “A” on their report cards…we don’t even have a KK within 150 miles of where we live…but when we headed to the Outlaws house for Thanksgiving, they were sure to have me print off thier report cards so they could cash in. We homeschool, and it didn’t even dawn on me to print out a report card for our 5year old daughter…and boy was she mad!!!! I had to promise that next time I would for sure include her in the FREE donuts.
For entirely different reasons, I abhor this approach. Not all people are ‘A’ or ‘B’ people. One kid can work twice as hard for his/her ‘C’ grade, than the kid who ‘earned’ the ‘A’ grade. One member of our family worked for hours every night, to earn ‘A’s and mostly ‘B’s. Another could procrastinate, study a bit and get mostly ‘A’s. Another needed to be far more organized and disciplined and gets mediocre grades and is capable of better grades than were being produced. Another worked until utter exhaustion, daily, for years, and barely passed clases (and often didn’t). Under this ‘motivational’ philospohy, the one that put little work into the ‘A’ grades, would earn the most money. The one that worked the hardest and had trouble passing classes would earn nothing. From this experience, I have learned to reward the effort, respect self discipline, and encourage balance in use in time (yes, it is OK to take breaks to relax). Kids get compared to peers abilites enough as it is. They need to feel appreciated and respected for who they are and who they can (or can’t) become.
this is my thought- If I was an owner of a company, I would be willing to pay for A’s with a scholarship towards college. You think about it– if they get the As then they are going to a great college you hope– and they are going to need everything they can get to pay for it.
Honestly, I was a horrible high school student. I barely graduated with enough credit, regardless of my GPA. I liked the classes I liked and that was all I liked.
Now as an adult college student– I have straight As because it is not about me anymore, it is for my ‘family’. Not that I would not like a sponser for my grades now!
Wanna start paying me pete?
LOL, Melissa from Illinois
It seems as though I may be going against the grain on this one but I think it’s a great idea to be rewarding teenagers with money for good grades (and by good I mean A’s and high B’s). I’m a senior at MTSU finishing an education degree and I’ve seen multiple articles highlighting programs that give money to students who earn high grades on Advanced Placement tests (tests taken for college credit in certain subjects). Just as each of us gets rewarded with money for doing our jobs, students should be able to earn money for doing well in school. If you have a group of high school seniors, already ready to leave high school anyway, and you give them $50 for every A they earn in that last semester, I’d bet you’d have a lot of seniors still actually working in that last semester. This isn’t a form of entitlement or such – it’s giving students incentives to keep working as hard as they can.
Putting it into context, it makes sense. If the household’s values are based on material possessions, then it makes sense that the goal is to accumulate money. If the family values are about doing your best and loving your kids for who they are individually rather than how they measure up to little Joey or little Sally, then kids will perform their best no matter what.
I have friends who reward good grades with money, and many who do not. Staying the course with your own kid(s) and teaching them values – and what to value – is what matters in our household.
I don’t know about your schools but ours are full of extrinsic rewards for behavior, grades, attendance, math facts, and the list goes on. I get kinda sick of it. I want the kids to read because they love to read. Or do the right thing because it is the right thing to do. I know my kids are little now, and I might change my mind when they are older …. but for now, they get hugs and kisses no matter what is on their report card with a “I can tell you’ve been working hard and doing your best.” So far so good.
While we don’t pay for chores around the house, we do pay for grades. In our house, everyone has a job that they do be it yard work, dishes, laundry, floors, dogs, etc. We don’t get paid for those.
We also have jobs outside of the house that we get paid for. School is our sons job right now. We feel it’s no different than a job that you don’t want to go to on some days … yet you have to. So we treat it as such. This started when he went into Jr. High. He is rewarded for doing good and he gets paid pretty good. This is how he raises money to do things like golf camp during breaks and summer, etc. Right now he’s saving up for a new set of irons. He gets rewarded $10 per A, $2 for B’s and Nothing for C’s, D’s or F’s. When we told him the deal he asked why there was such a jump from a B to an A for payment and we explained how we came up with the system. We don’t pay for bad grades (that’s a given), we won’t pay for a C because that’s average … we will pay a little for a B because you did have to pay attention … but an A means that you did everything that you were asked to do and that’s a job well done. He’s never penalized financially. It took him from a so so student to almost a straight A student and he has told us on many occasions that it makes him feel awesome to get those grades. He’s also admitted that it’s really not that hard for him to get them in the first place. So by making it his job, it has given him pride and his own money to do the extra things he likes to do … like golf every day when it’s Christmas break
@Chase, It’s cool to have a students perspective. Thanks for jumping in man.
I’m not sure if paying for grades is completely bad, but a website to solicit sponsorship? That’s going too far in my opinion.
I think that it’s a bad idea to pay kids to get good grades. I think that when your giving kids money in order to do well in school, you’re giving them the impression that they’re incapable of doing well academically without it. When I was in school, getting good grades were something that you were congratulated for (and in elementary school, given a sticker for), and those of us that got the best grades were able to then get accpeted to either good schools or got a good job.
I got in trouble if I didn’t get A’s. I don’t think that was healthy either. I think there are so many problems with paying for A’s and one if them is that, if kids get money for A’s, they may want to take easier classes to make the money. A child should feel comfortable to take a challenging class and not like a B is a failure. A B in a hard class is better than an A in an easy class. Also, this is placing all of the importance on academic achievement. I wouldn’t want to be paying a bully money for an A.
I’ve heard of this being done at some inter-city schools that the school paid the students. They get 1/2 the money when they get the good grade and the other 1/2 upon graduation. They get paid for A’s, B’s and C’s. For some students a C is the best that they can do. This has drasticly decreased their drop out rate. My biggest concern is “will this lead to more cheating? Most students said that this made them pay attention and take notes during class. The idea of getting sponsors concerns me unless it a business sponsoring a school or class.
Horrible idea, right now I’m sitting in a community college buying
college textbooks back from greedy, self absorbed, nasty mouthed students. Now granted there is a flip side to this, some aren’t like that…I had a guy come up to me and say..before his books were even put on the table, before his i.d. was taken out…
“So how are you going to rape me for these books”…I didn’t respond to him…this is a product of many things and we don’t need to pay our kids for grades…they need to realize everything doesn’t come with a dollar sign, some things are felt from within.
I’m not sure how I feel about it. My mom would give me a high five for anything higher than a C+. My parents approval was not everything, and it didn’t drive me to go insane and get straight As. As someone mentioned before, not everyone is collegiate material, and not everyone thrives in college. Some of us who happen to be intelligent may not get straight As. I certainly wouldn’t want someone paying me to do my job as a college student…For the first time in my entire LIFE as a senior in college I had a higher GPA than I’ve ever had. I had three As and two Bs. That has never happened to me before. I worked hard for those grades, not for money, but for…me.
I figure that should be enough.
I think people should do a great job simply because they have made it a pratice to give their all to doing things well regardless of the “payoff.” However, our society is structured on the premise of getting paid more for doing “better” work–think of tips, year-end bonuses, commissions, paid time-off, etc. The reason companies offer these monetary incentives (to adults) is because they work. You get “something extra” for quality work.
Adults are not immune from the entitlement trap this kind of thinking creates. In fact, the newspaper carriers in our area do something interesting every year around this time of year. Right around the first week in December we get an envelope tucked into the paper. It says “Happy Holidays” on the envelope and (for my convenience, I guess?) has our carrier’s name and address printed on it. I guess what he’s saying is “I’m doing a great job delivering your paper (earning A’s.) So, how’s about shooting a little cash my way (sponsoring my hard work)?” I’m always tempted to mail it off with a Christmas card and an envelope with my name and address printed on it for his convenience. I mean I am a faithful customer, never leave anything in his way, don’t have rabid pitbulls barking at him, etc.
It certainly is challenging for parents to teach their children to always give things their best efforts simply because it’s the right thing to do (even when no one is looking or there may not be a payoff) when our culture screams otherwise. And, frankly, there is quite a fine line between entitlement and incentive as Chase so brilliantly noted. (Somebody oughtta pay his tuition for the next semester.)
What about our children with learning disabilities or other diagnoses? How do we fairly reward them when their “best” doesn’t always result in a “good” grade. I am a fan of going out to dinner when the report cards come home and everyone did well or showed improvement, but I’m not a fan of monetizing grades.
In the business world, aren’t you typically rewarded for hard work and being one of the best at what you do? Don’t get me wrong, I think sponsors for A’s is over the top, but I am not sure I am against parents rewarding their children for great achievement. I do not think the reward should be large, but I do not think there is anything wrong with rewarding a child for doing great things.
Hmmm, I am thinking this might just encourage a little more cheating to make the grade, especially when the reward is of the cash kind.
I’m on a similar campaign. I’m trying to get sponsorship for each email I send out. Will somebody pay me $1 for each helpful email I send today…or $10 or $20? Oh wait, you mean that life doesn’t work like that, and God doesn’t reward like that?
If you subsidize something you get more of it..more often than not. I think it should be a bit simpler than making mere A’s.
What if…
-They were only paid if they made it into an honors class.
-Participated in so many community events.
-Before they can even GET PAID for the A’s they have to have met
certain prerequisites.
-This could also mean ministry opportunities if we’re going to talk about community
service stuff.
ohhh, as a teacher, I could write paragraphs on this topic. I personally don’t pay my 3 children. Other incintives have motivated them…i.e. cell phone priveleges for out two high schoolers and for the 4th grader, the social butterfly, having friends over or even making her bedtime 30 min. later is a great thing for her. There are some cases that I have seen, where not a whole lot motivates a student and using the incentive of money could possibly work….AND also lessons on how to save/spend money wisely. But every family is different….we don’t give allowance either….a whole other topic! ; )
If my parents recognized that I had the talent/ability, but not the focus on a particular subject that was slipping, they did offer incentives of something I really wanted. When I was in JR High, I was really pushing myself to get straight A’s – it was my own personal goal. I also really wanted my ears peirced. So, my parents said that if I did get straight A’s, I could have my ears done. Of course, I did get them… not sure what they would have done if I didn’t succeed since I worked very hard that year.
I can see and understand both sides of the issue – and as with everything else, we parents have to do what’s best for our children and our family – which may or may not always be considered normal. With some kids, this may work well if not taken advantage of – for others, it teaches nothing and can do harm. In our family, I hope and pray our child has enough confidence in his abilities to want to do his best at all times.
Wow…lots of responses, Pete! I’m on my last year of high school and for quite a few years my parents would pay $1 for every A that I made on my report card. During high school, there are times when you don’t care about your grades. I think that paying for A’s can be a positive reinforcer to get kids to do well in school. But I also think that it depends on the kids and the family too! When you’re only taking 4 classes and get paid for the 4 A’s your recieved, it’s not enough money to go crazy with, but it’s better than nothing. I think it depends on the amount of money, as well as when A’s are not the norm for a kid, then getting paid can be a great lesson to work hard and use that money wisely because they earned it! If it helps the kid to learn to manage money wisely and to work hard, then I think it’s worth it!
On the other hand, getting sponsors is just plain crazy!
That’s just my two young cents…
I never got paid for grades or chores. I never even got an allowance. My younger siblings get paid allowance for chores and I’ll tell you something; they have no ambition and no respect for the value of things. My parents used to tell me how expensive things were, and we had to wait sometimes for high priced items. My younger siblings have not had the benefit of that kind of parenting. My parents are older now and tired, so they indulge and therefore have created spoiled children who think they should get paid for putting their backpack away. I agree with you, Pete. We need to get back to the parenting that teaches children the value of hard work, the value of a dollar, and the importance of getting good grades so you are educated. Thanks for the post, and the reality check!
@Jacquelyn, Well said. I really appreciate you adding your voice to this conversation.
I think this is perpetuating another generation of even further entitlement. If this is where we are going, let’s pay our kids per prayer, and for saying please. I would have learned fast. “Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please….now pay up sucka!!”
Well said Jacob McGinnis!
We never paid for grades except to offer a gift for straight As – but only in high school.
We have imposed a 3.0 requirement, though, once they became licensed drivers, as it impacts insurance rates. If you don’t make the 3.0 and we have to pay extra $$ … you’ll be back in the carpool line with Mom driving you to school. No 16, 17 or 18-year-old wants that. So far, so good. Oldest is a jr in college with a 3.5+ GPA, youngest is a jr in high school and expects to be >3.0 at semester.
It would be great if kids were motivated to do well in school “just because”. But, we are talking about children. How many of us (old enough to know better adults) do the right thing “just because”? Honestly, how many of you would go to work and put your all into it if there wasn’t a paycheck coming? How many of us eat healthy and exercise consistently because we know the long term effects? Would we get A’s? Sometimes we expect more from our young people than we are willing to give of ourselves.
Guilty as charged – on the receiving end! My parents paid us for our grades, elementary school $1 for an A, $.50 for a B (lots of grades then); junior high = $5 for an A, $2.50 for a B; and high school = $10 an A and $5 a B. I am probably much older than many responding to this blog, but it worked for me. My brothers did not like the program because they did not get great grades. BUT…both of them have higher paying jobs than me, top level management in their companies. My sister is a surgeon. But I am the one who got the most money for report cards. Go figure!
Umm, no no no no no. At least not for my kids (when I have them). Since I teach I really believe that if kids believe in themselves and set a goal, whether there is money or not, they will feel good about themselves and try in school. Not everyone will exceed in every subject, and that’s ok. So the essential thing is giving those tools that make them see their worth (we are made in the IMAGE OF GOD!!!). Much more important than the grades to me. And the end result is a life well lived. Let’s not teach them that money is to be strived for early on, the world will do enough of that.
I don’t have a strong opinion one way or the other [probably because I don't have kids so I don't have to think about it
]My parents wouldn’t have had the money to pay for grades when the six of us were in school, to be honest, and I still always made the honor roll… I just didn’t want to disappoint them. We never got an allowance either, but we took care of each other. I would walk a field of beans by myself for day during the summer for no pay, but when I went out on the weekend he always had money to give me for the night. It wasn’t reward for work… it was us taking care of each other. I liked that philosophy.
I think that being compensated for a job well done is a fact of life. I worked for a fortune 500 company in the HR dept for 12 years and the folks that worked harder and did better were paid for their efforts. I think that is a good value to teach children but it has to also be taught that when you are comnsated well you have a resonsibility to be a good steward and to be a giver like Jesus. Having money is not just about being rich – it’s about giving and managing what God has provided. I think kids should learn that lesson early and often. As adults we work and are compensated. School is the “job” of kids
I’m on the fence on this one.
Dont know if this is already said, havent read through all the comments..
If this is for college going students who have a student loan, its fine, but if they are doing at school level… thats asking for trouble in the long run, cause in a decade, students will study only if they get money…bad deal.
Alright I have not read all the comments so this might be totally different than everyone else or someone has already said this.
Do we pay our children for chores? Isn’t that just part of being a family. A member of a household. If you pay for chores are you teaching your children to only do things for money.
The question about grades. I am not sure, but there are other ways to reward kids besides financially for doing well in school, some parents give special time, special gifts, special privileges, etc. Are we rewarding them for doing well and they will only do well because we “pay” them for it.
We in society get rewarded financially for lots of things. For example work, you get paid for work (I consider school children’s work) The better you do at your job, the more promotions you will get, the more money you will get, should work be giving financial reward for just doing a good job? Is that saying that you will not do your best if you are not financially compensated.
Oh man this is all over the place. Bottom line I guess is we get rewarded for just about everything in life. Mainly financially and ultimately we are a capitalistic society. If we want to make changes we have to change all aspects of how our society feels about money. So yes I think that kids should be rewarded for good work just like parents and adults get rewarded for their good work.
Happy Monday!