Written ~ June 16, 2009
One of the lessons moms and dads learn early on in their parenting career is that rewarding good behavior generally begets good behavior.
From good grades to better behavior, kids receive gifts of money, entertainment or toys to reinforce performance.
Speaking of financial rewards, if the tooth fairy lesson had stuck with me, and if I’d been rewarded five bucks instead of a quarter for every fallen tooth, I would have yanked out all of my adult teeth and spared the pain and financial burden. But I digress.
As a new mother, a “trick” I found successful was a reward of time and special place. It didn’t cost a thing but it was meaningful for both my son and me (even though I am sure if you asked him today he would remember money from the tooth fairy and not an extended outing to the park).
In elementary school, public acknowledgment with award ceremonies and ribbons worked very well for good citizenship, academic achievements and attendance. Hopefully the key to the future success of most of the students was that a personal sense of pride and accomplishment that was developed at an early age, a community of family and peers participated and supported the achievements of the students, and good work was reinforced.
The lesson in both examples sited is that no race card or price tag can be placed on giving it your best; time together is time well spent and together we make a difference. For crying out loud I figured that out with a less than perfect upbringing, mistakes along the way and no advanced degree.
Not a lot of hoopla for Melissa Pilato, from Cypress High School who is graduating with a perfect attendance record; perfect attendance record all the way back to kindergarten. In addition to showing up to school (which is what students are supposed to do) she’s been involved in NHS, CSF, and sports. Her hard work and dedication are their own rewards. Nice work, Melissa.
However, on the other side of town, a Santa Ana Unified student with perfect attendance has won a new car as part of an incentive program to discourage absenteeism. Can you believe that the school district accepted a $13,000 donation from a local car dealership? Promoting attendance or hoping to reduce absenteeism to an 18 year old who just showed up for something he/she is supposed to do is twisted logic. In addition to the “Grand Prize” more than a dozen donations – an iPod, Disneyland tickets, and gift cards to Barnes and Noble, Best Buy and Kohl’s department store were raffled off to kids with perfect attendance in the district. Oh and did I mention perfect attendance for just one year?
I get that curbing absenteeism means more money to the schools. As a matter of fact, every day a student misses school costs the district about $25 to $40. According to a recent article in the Orange County Register, this district’s attendance rate is about 92 to 94 percent, similar to others in the county. So let ‘em all get a $13k car. BTW, the student is responsible for registration fees, taxes and insurance costs which is no tooth fairy change.
Looking back, I wonder how Melissa and the student winner of the car are dong today?
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