Report cards, grades, standardized testing, red green yellow, on and on and on. Our kids' performance in school is closely monitored, graded and reported back to us, the parents, in many ways throughout the school year. The question parents are then faced with is this: What will you do with that reported information? The Greener Grass Mama has been wondering about this topic, questioning whether or not it is appropriate to pay your children for grades on a report card.
She shares part of her conversation with a mother of two valedictorians:
I'd been tossing around the idea of paying for grades now that letter grades were in the picture, and I was curious what the best, most morally correct, and productive way to keep a straight A student motivated to continue being a straight A student. Or should grades be like those chores they must do simply because they are part of the family so they must contribute?
She smiled and said, "Sure I rewarded them. I mean, I get paid for my performance, why shouldn't they? Doesn't it teach them how life really works? Starting in third grade, I paid a quarter for every A and an extra dime for every A+. Every year, I increased it a quarter. By the time high school hit, my oldest still had straight As and he put a hand on my shoulder and said, 'Mom, you don't have to pay me anymore. I'm getting the grades for me now.'"
I wanted to cry and hug Shirley.
School report card showing straight A's image via Shutterstock.
And so the question remains: Do you pay your children for A's on their report cards? How much? Why or why not? Be sure to finish reading her post before you answer!
Family/Moms & Events Section Editor Jenna Hatfield (@FireMom) blogs at Stop, Drop and Blog.