Reassessing giving rewards for grades

The assessment Rewards and punishments have left children in what I call the ‘‘crippled'' position — with one hand clutched to their chest in fear of punishment and the other hand held out for a reward. In addition to their powerful feelings of fear and greed, children might also be crippled by rewards that deprive them of the personal euphoria of a job well done.

However well intentioned, most rewards only legitimize the outcome without rewarding the process. Consider this example: Your youngest child is naturally gifted in math and makes an A without much effort; your oldest child, who was tackling harder material without the benefit of a natural gift, put forth great effort to earn a C. Who gets the greater reward? The child who developed personal learning strategies through effort and hard work, or the child who coasted onto the honor roll? And what does such a reward system tell your children?

Reward-and-punishment behavior modification techniques originated through scientific research on dogs and mice. Parents need to focus on the human process of goal setting, strategy development and self-assessment. The natural reward is the child's own sense of pride and excitement about personal accomplishment, which will lead to self-appreciation and the motivation to attempt learning again.

Once children have developed their personal learning processes, parents will see a lifelong change and not just a temporary modification of behavior.

What to do

When your child brings home a report card, ask: ‘‘If you could give yourself from one to five stars for accomplishment, how many would you get in each subject?'' Have your child assess and explain accomplishments in each subject. For a child who is not gifted in math, a C in that subject could be worth five stars while a B in his favorite subject might be worth four stars. Remember that grades alone do not reflect all that your child has learned — just what your child was able to give back to the teacher on a particular day.

With these self-assessments, your child should pinpoint personal strengths and weaknesses that will help develop the learning process. Help your child set written goals and strategies for each class for the next report card period. Keep these goals in a handy place so you can review progress at a 10-minute ‘‘strategy time'' meeting each week.

This system offers many rewards. Your child is rewarded with his own perception of success and with your most valuable resource — your time. In the long run, these rewards are more important than any material rewards you can give.

— Write Dr. Yvonne Fournier, Fournier Learning Strategies Inc., 5900 Poplar, Memphis, Tenn. 38119. E-mail YF7thsense@aol.com.