Seattle Times: Should Learning Be its Own Reward?

Rick_Tyler
Sun, 19 Nov 2006 22:01:44 +0000

Stickers – not so much for us. As a negative “incentive” I used counting until they were both well into Jr. High. That was when they finally asked, “What happens when you get to a certain number?” Since I never knew what I would do, let alone what the number was, when they started asking, I stopped counting.

As for rewards for grades, my parents never paid me, and I don’t pay them. I did offer my guitar-playing son a Fender Telecaster if he pulled in straight As as a joke. Unfortunately, he thought I was serious. We’re still negotiating that one…