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Beloit schools use incentives to spark pupils
By Ashley Rhodebeck
Daily News staff writer
A packet of 1,400 stickers of animals, butterflies and phrases like “way to go” and “groovy” sits in Principal Robert Pickett's office in McLenegan Elementary School, and he pulls it out whenever a student shows him a good grade.
“Kids live for stickers,” Pickett said. “You'd think I had given them a piece of gold.”
Educators throughout the School District of Beloit, and surely throughout the nation, incorporate incentives in school life as motivation for the children to exhibit good behavior and to do well in academics.
Motivating students has become particularly difficult, Pickett said, noting the computers, video games and hundreds of TV channels tempt and distract kids.
“In my day there were three channels in black and white, hopscotch and baseball,” he said.
Four years ago McLenegan used the $1,500 it received for being a Wisconsin School of Promise to pay for an end-of-the-year celebration at the movie theater, and such a celebration has become tradition. Pickett said this year each class set a goal - such as walking so many miles or reading so many books - and the students are working as a team to achieve the prize.
Parent Teacher Organizations front the cost for McLenegan's school-wide pizza parties rewarding students for reaching reading goals, but for the most part teachers pay for their classroom incentives.
“They naturally do it on their own and don't complain about it,” Pickett said. “They know how much it means to the kids.”
To encourage good behavior, several educators at Todd Elementary add to a paper clip chain hanging from the ceiling whenever a child does a good deed and give the class a reward once it reaches the floor. Meanwhile, students demonstrating good character at McNeel Middle get gold slips, which they can enter in a lottery for snacks, $1 off coupons for fast food places, calculators and - the rarest prize - boom boxes.
First-grade teacher Gardenia Simon at Burdge Elementary blends math into her incentive program by giving students fake money to reward actions, such as completing homework on time. However, the kids lose the money if they do things like misbehave. The classroom currency teaches the kids about making and saving money because the kids can redeem the money for school supplies at the end of each week.
About a year ago, Rebecca Yepez, English as a Second Language teacher for three elementary schools, began rewarding students who earned four consecutive proficient or advanced proficient scores on their spelling tests by giving them a lunch from Culver's. The program became so successful - some scores improved as much as 70 percent - that Yepez asked the restaurant to donate the meals, which it now does.
Not surprisingly, kids like the trinkets they accumulate and the special snacks they receives, but at the same time educators, such as Pickett, recognize there's a line between incentives and bribery.
“Do we reward too much?” Pickett said, calling the question a legitimate concern among educators and an argument among critics. “In reality, we live in a society that does base itself on rewards. I come to work every day and the district gives me money.”
But, he continued, educators must keep themselves in check to keep from being excessive. He noted, “Our foundation is not giving out things.”
Instead, incentives supplement three basic principles for motivating students, Pickett said. Good instructional strategies are key as well as enthusiastic, caring teachers who strongly believe all kids can learn. Orderly, safe and well-organized classrooms that foster relationships are also important because children must feel connected with one another to make school a place they want to be.
Lastly, Pickett said, the non-monetary incentives, like a phone call home when a child does something well, should not be discounted.
“They have a big old smile, particularly if mom's nervous,” Pickett said, so that's pretty inexpensive reinforcement and it sticks with the kids.”
“Kids live for stickers,” Pickett said. “You'd think I had given them a piece of gold.”
Educators throughout the School District of Beloit, and surely throughout the nation, incorporate incentives in school life as motivation for the children to exhibit good behavior and to do well in academics.
Motivating students has become particularly difficult, Pickett said, noting the computers, video games and hundreds of TV channels tempt and distract kids.
“In my day there were three channels in black and white, hopscotch and baseball,” he said.
Four years ago McLenegan used the $1,500 it received for being a Wisconsin School of Promise to pay for an end-of-the-year celebration at the movie theater, and such a celebration has become tradition. Pickett said this year each class set a goal - such as walking so many miles or reading so many books - and the students are working as a team to achieve the prize.
Parent Teacher Organizations front the cost for McLenegan's school-wide pizza parties rewarding students for reaching reading goals, but for the most part teachers pay for their classroom incentives.
“They naturally do it on their own and don't complain about it,” Pickett said. “They know how much it means to the kids.”
To encourage good behavior, several educators at Todd Elementary add to a paper clip chain hanging from the ceiling whenever a child does a good deed and give the class a reward once it reaches the floor. Meanwhile, students demonstrating good character at McNeel Middle get gold slips, which they can enter in a lottery for snacks, $1 off coupons for fast food places, calculators and - the rarest prize - boom boxes.
First-grade teacher Gardenia Simon at Burdge Elementary blends math into her incentive program by giving students fake money to reward actions, such as completing homework on time. However, the kids lose the money if they do things like misbehave. The classroom currency teaches the kids about making and saving money because the kids can redeem the money for school supplies at the end of each week.
About a year ago, Rebecca Yepez, English as a Second Language teacher for three elementary schools, began rewarding students who earned four consecutive proficient or advanced proficient scores on their spelling tests by giving them a lunch from Culver's. The program became so successful - some scores improved as much as 70 percent - that Yepez asked the restaurant to donate the meals, which it now does.
Not surprisingly, kids like the trinkets they accumulate and the special snacks they receives, but at the same time educators, such as Pickett, recognize there's a line between incentives and bribery.
“Do we reward too much?” Pickett said, calling the question a legitimate concern among educators and an argument among critics. “In reality, we live in a society that does base itself on rewards. I come to work every day and the district gives me money.”
But, he continued, educators must keep themselves in check to keep from being excessive. He noted, “Our foundation is not giving out things.”
Instead, incentives supplement three basic principles for motivating students, Pickett said. Good instructional strategies are key as well as enthusiastic, caring teachers who strongly believe all kids can learn. Orderly, safe and well-organized classrooms that foster relationships are also important because children must feel connected with one another to make school a place they want to be.
Lastly, Pickett said, the non-monetary incentives, like a phone call home when a child does something well, should not be discounted.
“They have a big old smile, particularly if mom's nervous,” Pickett said, so that's pretty inexpensive reinforcement and it sticks with the kids.”
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