Should Students Receive Cash for Good Grades؟ by Yousuf Abubakr

09:44 PM October, 03 2016

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Yousuf Abubakr-Phoenix Arizona USA
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When students know they’ll receive money for good grades they work hard to get that money. Students aren’t really learning like this. There’s a greater value in being well educated then being paid. Seventy-five percent of teachers think that students should not be paid. Based off of personal experience, students are better without the money. Students should not receive cash for good grades because education is cheapened when it has a sum value, it pressures teachers to inflate student grades, and it doesn’t really promote motivation.
First and foremost, education is cheapened when students are paid for their good grades. A good education is the reward for going to school. When students are paid for higher test scores, the effects won’t last long. In Greg Toppo’s essay on USA TODAY he writes,“Short-term performance might improve, but the long-term effects can be very damaging”(2). This evidence shows how bribing students for better grades is a short-term effect. The student will forget about the information in the long run eventually. Furthermore, when students are in AP (Advanced Placement) classes, they already feel confident. The confidence that a person feels when they get a hundred on a test. Just being in the class motivates a person to go even farther. Those students don’t need money to motivate themselves. According to Greg Toppo’s research, he states, “Most students in AP classes are already internally motivated, and the opportunity to earn college credits for passing AP tests is a bigger motivation than a small cash award”(2). This evidence proves this claim is correct because AP students are always working hard to get college credits. If they get those credits then they won’t have to pay for that particular class in college, so a small cash reward won’t get in their way.
Teachers are pressured to inflate student grade point averages when students are paid for their good grades. Teachers are always trying to assist students who need a little extra help. When money comes into hand, teachers are given a burden. According to Mary Ellen Flannery,“...paying students for grades leads to practical problems in their classrooms, including pressure to inflate student grades”(1). This data validates this claim because teachers feel guilty when someone in class doesn’t get good grades (in this case, when someone in class doesn’t earn any money) because that’s their job. The teacher is responsible for their students and their grades and if they fail, they are going to look very bad in front of the student body government and the students’ parents. Additionally, assuming that a student doesn’t do well in a class. This could cause a conflict between the parent and the teacher. Flannery argues that, “...parents ‘rip teachers’ when their kid gets a C, says teacher Chris Spoonamore”(2) This information justifies this claim because when teachers don’t receive the grades a parent wanted, the parent thinks that the teacher didn’t really teach anything to their child, or the teacher isn’t such a good teacher. Either way it creates drama that the principal of the school has to deal with.
Students aren’t really being motivated when they’re being paid for their good grades. Research shows that money doesn’t work. It deters success in the long run. Moreover, any kind of unessential reward can be treacherous. Flannery remarks,“...researchers divided preschoolers into two groups: one that would get gold stars for their drawings and one that would not. Both drew enthusiastically, but when asked to draw again -without a reward- the gold-star group cut its drawing time in half. It appeared as if they’d lost enthusiasm for the task when it didn’t come with a reward” (2). This evidence verifies the previously mentioned claim because once the students realized there wasn’t going to be a prize, they lost their enthusiasm. Cash rewards are no more than bribes that people try and get a student to get good grades. When a student doesn’t win an award when everyone else does, it reduces their confidence. Toppo regards,“...payouts amount to little more than bribes , undermining kids’ motivation to do high quality work when they’re not being paid”(1). This evidence supports my claim because young students feel left out and deserted when they see everybody else having fun (in this case getting rewards) while that kid gets nothing. It can really hurt someone internally.
Students should not receive cash for good grades because education is not worth any amount of money, it contraints teachers to exaggerate student grades, and it doesn’t really bolster motivation. If money comes into play in school in school it will create a competition that will leave the students that need help in an emotionally intense state. That’s never acceptable at a school.

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