I have a little dilemma involving Rachael's report card.
I pay my kids for every A on their report card. (go ahead. Judge me.;) 
This is usually a cut and dried procedure, and not that difficult to deal with. Other than a bit of a hit to our wallets.
This time it is a little different.
Rach got mostly a's this semester. She got two bs. One in Accelerated Math, and one in ELP Social Studies.
My first reaction is to pay her for the 4 she received. But the Bs were both in advanced classes. And she got As in her other two advanced classes. If she were in High School, and those classes were weighted, they would count as As, right?
And besides, it is her first semester in Jr. High. So maybe I should cut her some slack.
Her teacher comments were fabulous.
She has gotten all of her homework done this semester, a problem we have had with her in the past. And I am tempted to reward this behavior.
So the question is, do I pay her for 4 As or 6?
If I pay her for 6 does she not try as hard in her advanced classes in the future?
I know, hard question. (Wouldn't it be nice if this were my biggest problem right now?)
your opinion?
Friday, October 16, 2009
In Your Opinion...
Posted by sherry at 9:57 PM
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Pay her for 4 A's and tell her "great job" in the other classes! If you start making exceptions now, what's to stop you in the future? That is great that she is doing so well in school! She always has been miss smarty pants!!
I would give her SOME reward (maybe reduced)for the B's. Otherwise she is given incentive to take dumbed- down classes in the future. Just explain that it is only because they are advanced classes, and she won't get anything for B's in the normal classes.
She chose to take advanced classes where she would be graded harder. No reward for the B's. It will give her a goal for next semester.
Do you think she is only capable of a B in those classes? Has she reached her maximum capacity? Or can she reach a little more and get As? I think that if you pay her for the Bs, you're telling her you don't think she can get the As -- so she won't. Stick with the plan, I think.
What if you pay her "half" for the B's in weighted classes? That way she earns some reward (because they are weighted classes and mean more) but not the same as the A price, because technically it's not an A...
Just a thought.
And I love that you pay for A's. GREAT idea...I may just have to copy one of these days!
OOPS! Looks like Spence and I had the same idea...
:)
I don't know. We're in the same boat over here with advanced classes in jr. high, and hence, no straight a's, so I'm also dilemma-ing over what to do. Good comments from your readers. They all make good points.
I would give her 6! Definetley a hard determination! She is a Beautiful girl, and should be able to reach that 6! Way to go Rachael!
P.s- Hope your feeling O.k. Sherry!
Pay her for them for sure. But if she gets As in the ap classes she should get a bonus.
I think the reward should be only for the A'S. That is the rule! If you start changing the rules then you would have to for every child. It should not matter that it is a advanced class or a regular class. GRADES are GRADES. Yes, her hard work should be rewarded and she will respect you for that. I hope this helps. You have a lot to sort out.
Award the doing of homework and not the 2 B's.
I say pay her for the A's she earned, when you made the deal to pay her for every A earned, were there any qualifiers? If not, than there's no need to put any on them now. Acknowledge her work in her hard classes, but I say only pay her for her A's.
Only a's. Is she not capable of them? If you pay her for the b's where is the incentive? She can achieve more. Let her know you trust she is smart enough to be able to work a little harder and get paid for ALL a's!
FYI: colleges are only looking at a stripped down GPA now. That means that the GPA is calculated based on the actual grade regardless of the advanced level. An A in a regular class may be more valuable than a B in a weighted class if you are applying for college.
Dan and Jan are correct. But the colleges also look for the advanced classes. I have never paid my kids for good grades. They are expected to get good grades. I have told them from birth that they HAVE to get a scholarship. No questions asked. And going to college is just what they do after highschool. It's a given. If you (or someone else she respects) spends enough time explaining to her the benefits of A's and college. It becomes her idea. You are just there for support. Good Luck (Two down, four to go for me!)
I like the idea of FULL payment for the 4 A's (very impressive, by the way :) and then a small reward for the 2 B's. This way she will still feel like her efforts are being recognized, as they are weighted classes, but gotta stay true to the RULE :) Let us know what you decided to do. It will be helpful for me in the future (at least that is me assuming my kids will have THIS good of grades :)
love this...i reward for good grades as well...something that my dad did for us back in the day and i believe there is nothing wrong with incentive...
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well, ms. popular, if you don't know what to do by now, i certainly can't help you out either. we pay for straight a's only. i say forget the rest and do whatever you want. you aren't going to ruin her either way, anyway. why does your top halloween picture only have 4 kids? it really threw me off at first. love the little tiny baby right in the middle! :)
Only the A's of course. She must really be working on you to even get you to consider the B's. Color me not surprised! A's are A's. If she's not capable of A's you better start paying her for B's.
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