Reply to Silver Spring's Eastern Middle School gets slammed for rewarding good students

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[quote=Anonymous]I am not the PP with the daughter, but I am another PP, and I don't have an argument to impress you with, but I will say this.  You say results matter.  What is a more important result, that the PP's daughter has straight A's or that she has a conscience and cares about other people. Ultimately what's more important?  To you personally and for our society?

To me, when you're talking about career achievements, or stepping stones along the way, results matter, and rewards play a part in motivating rewards and recognizing talent, effort, achievement, etc.  But we are talking about 11-13 year olds.  They are in the formative stage and there are a lot of things that matter, not just their grades.  And there are a lot of factors that can affect results down the line.  The kids who got good grades get plenty of reward.  They get the high-five feeling every time they take a quiz and get a report card.  They get messages or get to feel that they have a future and they know what they're doing and how to reach their goals.

I think it's shitty to give kids who don't get those rewards, which can be more many reasons, the message that they are already on the wrong track, they don't deserve to have fun, that they are not important citizens of their school.  Is that going to motivate them to try harder?  Or is it going to make them feel disenfranchised, and that the world of effort and achievement is maybe beyond their reach?  It's probably different for different kids.  Maybe some kids would be motivated but I think it sends a negative and harsh message.

I do think results are important but so are other things, like enjoying life and having fun.  Why does MCPS have to tie fun in with messages of achievement?  They already push the achievement thing all day long.  I think a better way to motivate kids to work hard in school is to develop motivation towards the school, to make school a fun and accepting place where kids feel welcome, where kids feel they have things in common with each other even if they don't all take the same classes.  That is more important than results at that age because results can and often do come later.  Let's remember these are kids.  [/quote]

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