Leave it to the League of Women Voters to come up with something so ridiculous to put on a child's ballot. It's really sad that children aren't taught that getting a good education is a privilege and a gift that comes with a very very high price tag. Instead they have these ideas constantly put into their head that they should be paid to get good grades because it's their job rather than it's something everyone else works hard to give you as a gift. I can't help but think that the attitude of a large number of our student population is more of the problem than the teachers or government bureaucracy (although that certainly doesn't help) or lack of funds and that attitude is taught to the children by a variety of means. http://community.adn.com/adn/node/154117
I have no problem with getting paid for grades. I was paid for mine as a child. I got $1 for A's, 50 cents for B's, nothing for C's, and I'd be in better shape sitting on hot coals than bringing home a D or F. I think I got only one C in my life. My twin sister didn't care and got several B's and C's. I was able to buy the things I wanted, and she wasn't. I'm the one who later got a full scholarship. She got nothing. (And as long as I kept my grades up in college, my parents also paid for half my rent and car.) I'm the one who later got a real job. She worked at Taco Bell (not that TB isn't a real job... just not HER ideal job) before deciding she didn't want that life for herself or her kids. She's 34 now and finally going to college. It's funny how she jokes about her former attitude and how easy it is now for her to pay attention in class and get A's... because money is on the line. She knows she needs to get a good job to help support her family. They're living on just a preacher income in a tiny, rural Arkansas, country-bumpkin church. (Which is beans or less.) In another year, she'll be a certified teacher. That will more than double their family income. Yes, grades equal money, whether today or in the future. I don't have a problem paying my kids for grades - whether it's money or gifts (because I also got gifts as a kid). My kids aren't ready for grades or money yet, but they will be in the blink of an eye. Actually, I plan to employ them in my company as well. Hard work = reward. You even see that concept taught in the Bible. If I had a learning disabled child, I'd also be willing to pay based on effort. Mine (that I know of) aren't LD, though, so their pay will be based on results and attitude.
Exactly. It's sad this doesn't come into play until that late in the game. This was about school districts paying kids for grades not parents. I have a hard time swallowing getting paid for something you are given. Getting paid in the future is about what you give back to society with the education you received not being paid for something you are given. Taxpayers are already giving up thousands upon thousands of dollars for kids to be educated but seldom do kids value it. That to me is sad. KWIM
I had friends who got paid for grades. I never did, and I never saw the point of it. I got nearly straight A's in school because the A was the reward for my hard work, not because someone was going to give me money for it. Recieving money would have been an insult to me because I got that A for me, not for them. I also think that it is sad that a lot of kids really do not value their education. I think a lot of them feel that highschool is just something you have to do before real life starts. They might be right. Giving them money might encourage better grades for some, but I doubt it will encourage a true love of learning.
