“ How well you do things should be incidental, not integral, to the way you regard yourself. ”
Students get the message bout what adults want. When 4th graders in a variety of classroomswere asked what their teachers most wanted them to do, they didn't say, Ask thoughtful questions or Make responsible decisions or Help others. They said, Be quiet, don't fool around, and get our work done on time.
~ Alfie Kohn
Many of our elected officials have virtually handed the keys to our schools over to corporate interests. Presidential commissions on education are commonly chaired by the executives of large companies.
The more we want our children to be (1) lifelong learners, genuinely excited about words and numbers and ideas, (2) avoid sticking with what’s easy and safe, and (3) become sophisticated thinkers, the more we should do everything possible to help them forget about grades.
Like any other tool for facilitating the completion of a questionable task, rewards offer a how answer to what is really a why question.
