Recently Fulton county schools located in Atlanta, Georgia decided to implement a program called Learn to Earn. The program will pay students $8 an hour to come to after school tutoring. Students who show improvement in their grades will earn bonuses for their achievement. The program will be piloted for 15 weeks and will be offered at one local middle school and one local high school.
My first thought is…. Has education declined so far that we now have to pay students to learn and do their work? What kind of message does this send to our kids?
What happened to hard work, responsibility and long-term goals?
What is wrong with telling a kid that working hard as a child pays off in the form of increased future earnings potential?
The bottom line is we will teach these kids that education should result in immediate rewards. My guess is that grades will improve and the program will be deemed a success. But what happens when money is not offered? What happens when they go to college and must perform for four years without financial reward?
Is this really the right message????
iTheme Techno Blogger by Black Quanta. Theme & Icons by N.Design Studio. Distributed by eBlog Templates
29/10/10 19:01
Interesting question. I would love to say that students don't need instant rewards to get them to do what they are supposed to do but the truth is they need some kind of motivation. Some students will get that all of the hard work they put in now will pay off later but the others, most of which have been influenced by celebrities and the media are more concerned with the "now" rather than the "later". I have conflicting opinions on this matter. I don't like the idea of paying student to do their work (what they should be doing anyway) but I do feel that it would be beneficial for students who have financial difficulties at home. By paying these students to come to tutoring or after school learning sessions you could help to education and possibly help a child eat.