Thoughts on "Behavior Bucks" reward system at school

[amcal]

It has been a rude awakening for me how much teachers rely on reward systems in the classroom.

I hate reward systems. Our first experience with one was my DD's first grade class last year. That teacher was so over the top with them. Her reward system was so random - kids got prizes for walking quietly, for drawing the prettiest picture, for looking at the teacher first etc... the class was late getting out all.the.time because at the end of the day she'd be randomly picking kids for prizes and they'd go to the prize box. There was no rhyme or reason to her reward system.

So, we have a new teacher this year and this teacher uses "Behavior Bucks" as her reward system. Basically, kids get "bucks" for bringing in homework or their folder, for good behavior etc.... At the end of the week, there are prize boxes with different values - $1, $2, $5 etc.... where the kids can go shopping.

I'm just wondering if anyone has thoughts about this type of program.

I don't like reward systems at all but, at least with this system, it seems a lot less random and subjective than prizes for best coloring or quietest walker, it's not a daily reward thing - everything is saved up for Fridays, everyone has the chance to get bucks and even if you only earned 1 buck, you can still get a prize.

I don't know - what do you think? Has anyone seen a system like this used in class?

[SpringMom]

I have known several teachers of various grade-levels to use this reward system with the older students having to save for a few weeks before the 'Student Store' opened. I have been thinking of doing something similar in my MS classroom this year to encourage those students who may never get recognition for their good citizenship. An upside is that students learn to be responsible with their 'money' ( not lose it ) and need math to figure out how much to save, spend and what they will have left for the next time. The downside is really for the teacher who has to copy all the money and buy all of the 'merchandise' for the store. As long as everyone has an equal opportunity to participate than I think it's fair.

[mammastar2]

I don't like 'reward systems' either, and I agree that it's a bit of a rude awakening how much they're used in school. That said, some are better than others, and it sounds like the new system at your child's school is at least not random, has the advantage of teaching money management and so on. But the whole notion of paying for good behavior is just...ick. Sigh...

Dd's teacher last year had a pretty low-key reward system that I didn't actually mind. When any child did something particularly impressive, whether in terms of work or interacting with others, they got to put a token in a collective jar on her desk. I don't think there was even an eventual class prize or anything, but for some reason the kids were really motivated by the idea of contributing to a visual reminder of all the good things everyone in the class had done!

The year before, her teacher's reward system was prize-based and led to kids labelling other kids as being 'bad' or 'good' to be in groups with, depending on whether you would risk not getting a prize due to their behavior. I didn't like that. I didn't address it with the teacher, but I spoke freely with dd about my feelings about it, and we discussed the problems with a system like that. I figured it was at least an opportunity to learn critical thinking.

[The Hidden Life]

We have one first grade teacher who is famous for giving out bouncy balls, and *only* bouncy balls, as daily rewards for good behavior, completed assignments, etc. It's better than candy, at least!

I don't like the idea of a "behavior bucks" system as well. It sort of leads into the idea that children should be PAID to be good.

[kmeyrick]

The school I work for is based ENTIRELY on a behavior bucks system. Believe me, it's a pain in the neck for us to manage and frankly, we shouldn't have to have a system like that at all. So why do we do it?

Sorry, but for a lot of kids, it works. Yes, yes, they should be good for goodness sake, they should be kind to each other and share the crayons because it's the right thing to do, but not everybody does. I prefer rewarding a kid who finally, finally, shared his eraser graciously to punishing him, to be honest.

We do try to wean kids off of the rewards, once they associate good behavior with good things. Really, eventually, being good is its own reward. People trust you, give you a little more freedom, you get work done faster and easier, there's a lot less chaos. Sadly, some kids, somehow or another, get heavily reinforced on bad behavior so they never quite make it off the reward system.

We're doing the best we can with the limited resources and options we have. *Shrugs*.

[MommyDOK]

subbing.

[zoebird]

to echo kmeyrick, in schools--unless they're of a cohesive, particular philosophy of how to discipline--then the going process of discipline is going to come to the fore.

the common practice is a punishment/rewards system. most children encounter this in the home, and this is the way that they are raised. a minority of children are raised with the "be good for goodness sake" no matter how many times we sing it at christmas time.

so, for teachers to use this system--and because it is particularly effective often with the most difficult of children who have learned to get negative attention--is really doing the best they can with what they've got. so many kids, so few resources, and not a lot of opportunity to implement alternatives.

it's tough for them, too, yk?

[lightheart]

Our sons' school does a reward system where as a classroom they earn bucks for not having tardies and absences somehow tallied up and after so many or maybe it's the winner for the week they get extra playground time. I don't like this system, I can see how it's a good idea, but I also don't like it because at some point when a kid is sick and has to miss, or something happens and there is a family tragedy or something where a kid misses school that kid knows "they" were the ones who 'let their class down' I don't think it has happened but I see a can of worms possibly being opened up for bullying.

They do a separate system where in the lunchroom and hallways there is a score based on total class behavior that is earned daily, that score is added up a couple times a year and the winning classes get to eat lunch in the gym where they play a movie. I'm actually okay with that ... I guess because it is based on a longer period of time and is directly related to something the kids have control over, their behavior, rather than absences or tardies.

Little guy's K class is doing green, yellow, red tickets for behavior, when you collect 20 green tickets you get to go to the treasure box, it is set up for all the K classrooms, not just his. I'm okay with that. It will work out to a maximum of 9 times to the treasure box if a child earned a green one every single day.

When he was in preschool, before he started i asked about rewards and they said they had a treasure box that the kids could pick from, sometimes daily, at least weekly. I asked that he not be allowed treasures at all because we were going through a (greedy/ugly) phase where going to the doctor's office he got a reward/treasure and we really wanted to not associate treasures and school like that happened with treasures and doctors. (he did have an atypical amount of doctor's appoitments, think 1 a week plus weekly therapies)

[annethcz]

Not a fan of reward systems either.

I would hesitate to send my child to a school that uses that sort of system.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by zoebird

because it is particularly effective often with the most difficult of children who have learned to get negative attention--is really doing the best they can with what they've got. so many kids, so few resources, and not a lot of opportunity to implement alternatives.

That's pretty much what my DD said. Since she didn't start school until she was 10, she often sounded like an anthropoligist studying a new culture. She found many of the rewards silly and childish, but could see why the teacher/school used them. There are a few kids who have real issues, and the teachers are doing their best to keep things under control with those kids so that learning can happen for ALL kids.

I honestly do not believe that my DD was damaged in any way by spending time where rewards are used. Even when our kids attend school, we as parents are still the biggest force in determining their character and values.

The nicest thing that her school did was have a Peace Party each quarter for all the kids who had gone through the quarter with no major discipline issues. They had pizza and learned line dances. It was a lot of fun. At the end of the year, the kids who had been peace keepers for the whole year got an extra field trip -- they went to a roller skating rink.

[zoebird]

i mean, i was raised in traditional schools but have no emotional connection to the punishment/rewards and i do not value myself based on those things (including grades, SAT scores, etc) like so many of my colleagues and my husband do.

it really is about the home life. my parents taught me that grading was largely subjective, that i should strive for excellence (my own sense of it), and put in my best effort, and not worry about the grade. if i was proud of the work, then it was more worthwhile than the grade.

my hsuband was a grade seeker, anxious, terrified of getting bad grades adn thereby being a 'bad' person. his whole world is wrapped up in "i'm good enough IF" systems. he's still working through it. so, it can warp people.

but, that's because it's how his parents operate too.

[amcal]

Thank you all for your thoughts!

I think I'm having some anxiety becasue of last year's teacher. She was so over the top with her reward system and it was so demoralizing to my DD. My DD would tell me all the time that no matter how hard she tried she would never get this prize or that prize or she would say that she took her time and colored her picture the best she could but, she'll never win the prize for "best coloring".

I can see how reward systems can be very useful for teachers. I think it's hard for me because we just don't parent this way and I worry about the message it sends. But, her primary messages come from the home so I just need to be honest with them about my feelings on reward systems and let it go.

Honestly, the behavior bucks don't seem too terrible. Yet. It's a good thing I'll be in the classroom every week. I like to keep an eye on these things.

[shelbean91]

I'm a teacher- that's my disclaimer.

I generally don't care for reward systems - as they're usually done incorrectly. However, from what you've described, it seems the new teacher is doing ok. It is tangible, attainable, cumulative- and all students have an equal chance to get bucks.

The way I look at it is this- adults go to work and get a paycheck, which they use to purchase things they need/want. If they don't do the job, they don't get paid. My child's job is to be the best student she can be. If she doesn't do her 'job' she doesn't get paid.

My dd was in 3rd grade last year and part of her 'job' was to read for a minimum of 30 minutes each might *and* have me sign her log that she read. If she didn't read, I wouldn't sign. If she forgot to ask me, it didn't get signed and she owed a 'ticket'. One week she was upset she couldn't buy the thing she wanted at the 'store' but through the course of the year, she only forgot to have the log signed a handful of times.

[mata]

When my child is in a classroom of 20-30 kids and there are 5-6 kids that disrupt the class to the point where no one can get anything done, I have no problem with such a system if it keeps those kids on a more constructive path!

[elisheva]

Originally Posted by zoebird

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so, for teachers to use this system--and because it is particularly effective often with the most difficult of children who have learned to get negative attention--is really doing the best they can with what they've got. so many kids, so few resources, and not a lot of opportunity to implement alternatives.

it's tough for them, too, yk?

I taught for 7 years before I had kids and, IME, this type of thing only ever worked short-term for the "challenging" kids. It was great for kids who behaved anyway because they got cool stuff. Unless you changed it up fairly often, the "challenging" kids almost always fell off the wagon after a few times.

Plus, it was a total PITA to manage this type of reward system. Not my idea of great teaching. In my last few years I taught middle school and found I had much more success if, instead of trying to "manage" the kids, I was just "with" them and trying to make the grading/curriculum easier to understand and less arbitrary. Some classes were great, others weren't, but I wasn't driving myself crazy paying attention to a reward system.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by zoebird

my hsuband was a grade seeker, anxious, terrified of getting bad grades adn thereby being a 'bad' person. his whole world is wrapped up in "i'm good enough IF" systems. he's still working through it. so, it can warp people.

but, that's because it's how his parents operate too.

I really think that what kids experience in the school environment is shaded by how they are raised at home. For a child who has been raised by people who see and believe in their intrinsic worth and can speak honestly with them about the reward system, it could be a very different experience than kids who live with people who with hold affection to manipulate and control, who shame, or who are emotionally abusive (or worse).

I remember someone posting here last school year about a teacher who was very random in rewards, and it was so poorly managed that I really felt talking to the principle was a good idea. But *most* reward systems are unable to screw up all that we've instilled in our kids through attachment parenting.

[MommyDOK]

Originally Posted by mata

When my child is in a classroom of 20-30 kids and there are 5-6 kids that disrupt the class to the point where no one can get anything done, I have no problem with such a system if it keeps those kids on a more constructive path!

Isn't Alfie Kohn's beef w/ rewards that they just don't work that well? I know a class at my dd's school that uses the bucks system, and even by april the kids w/ behavior problems STILL had them. It seemed that if something didn't work by April, then it may be time to try a different system.

[kmeyrick]

Originally Posted by MommyDOK

Isn't Alfie Kohn's beef w/ rewards that they just don't work that well? I know a class at my dd's school that uses the bucks system, and even by april the kids w/ behavior problems STILL had them. It seemed that if something didn't work by April, then it may be time to try a different system.

It's not a silver bullet, no question. If there are deep, underlying problems, a reward buck isn't going to change that. Of my four students who were hyperactive (diagnosed) 2 really responded by Christmas, and 1 responded by April. One didn't at all. *Shrugs.* But, it does help some.

[A&A]

As long as it's not candy!! I've had to talk to two teachers so far (and will have to talk to a third, knowing who ds will have this year) about not giving him daily candy.

[Aubergine68]

Originally Posted by elisheva

I taught for 7 years before I had kids and, IME, this type of thing only ever worked short-term for the "challenging" kids. It was great for kids who behaved anyway because they got cool stuff. Unless you changed it up fairly often, the "challenging" kids almost always fell off the wagon after a few times.

Plus, it was a total PITA to manage this type of reward system. Not my idea of great teaching. In my last few years I taught middle school and found I had much more success if, instead of trying to "manage" the kids, I was just "with" them and trying to make the grading/curriculum easier to understand and less arbitrary. Some classes were great, others weren't, but I wasn't driving myself crazy paying attention to a reward system.

:

I think reward systems may have their place, esp short term to establish habits and where special needs and challenging behaviors are concerned, but they sure don't work long-term, imo. I agree with Alfie Kohn on rewards/grades so far as to believe that they sure shouldn't be system-wide and constant.

One I heard of that met my values better than most is a whole-class reward system the teacher used to counteract a negative/competitive/bullying classroom culture in an upper-elementary class. Kind/respectfu/helpful behavior towards others earned a student the right to put a river stone in a large glass jar. When the jar was full, the whole class had a reward together, chosen from several options by a vote (I think they decided to watch a movie one Friday afternoon). There was nothing punitive for individuals -- stones were never removed from the jar. If the class filled the jar more often, they'd get more "fun" activities throughout the year. I assume that this was a logical consequence,too -- less time/energy spent in managing problems for the class meaning more effective learning and more time for fun stuff.

I run a home child care and I've used a whole-group reward system like this sometimes when I've had children with behavior problems in care who were developmentally old enough to work with a system like this. I found it to be successful in helping to promote more positive interactions with others, and to establish a happier environment. But I certainly don't use this tool often or for a long time. Too much work for a diminishing return.