Should Students Get Paid For Good Grades

Students around the globe struggle with the stress of financial needs causing these young intellectuals to focus less on school and more on opportunities to pay for their education. The students start failing subjects that constrict them from qualifying for AP classes and scholarship opportunities, which will help them decrease their finical problems. When the idea of getting paid for good grades comes to the attention of students, they take advantage of the opportunity because the money would help immensely. However, rewarding students with a check for having good academic grades and behaving properly in school kills intrinsic motivation, resulting in students to feel pressured, and destroys the skills necessary for their future benefits.

Most often, students result to cheating in order to obtain the grades required to qualify for the money, which in turn causes “conflict with students and parents” (Flannery). For example, when students cheat off each other, it causes disputes that escalade into violence. Followed by, teachers and parents to get involved. The typical punishment of cheating is a failing grade for the assignment or in worst case scenarios, suspension. The objective of earning money was to help enhance students’ desire to learn, yet the money is the cause of students braking school policy. According to Chris Spoonamore, a teacher, in an article by Mary Ellen Flannery parents “rip teachers” because of their child receiving a bad grade. Teachers are frequently accused of intentionally changing students’ grades based on the teacher’s personal bias of the student. Despite the despicable accusations, teachers give each student the grade her or she has earned. On the contrary giving money to kids would be beneficial because it helps the students “in poor communities where a dollar really makes a difference” (Flannery). The students in poor communities don’t have much, but with the money added into their pockets, it could get them items they’ve never had before. Nevertheless being pressured to achieve money makes one feel that cheating is the best way to achieve and ensure

When the money is given to the kids “it sends the message that the reasons to work hard in school is to enrich your wallet rather than” (McCready) enriching important skills such as honesty or self-reliance. If self-reliance is not learned, students rely on other opportunities, which will most likely require the student to break the law, causing the students to drift away from their goals and feel ashamed of their actions. Also, without honesty students tend to be untruthful causing conflicts that could result with horrible consequences. On the other hand it could help by showing that hard work gets you a reward such as a check “just like in the real world” (Flannery). Even so, lifelong skills are not earned from money but just gives the feelings of being “entitled to a payout”