In fifth grade, they once rewarded us (some of my friends might remember this incident) and had us each read a story and explain it to a KG 2 student. It was the best day of my life! I remember how proud I was of myself. They gave me this responsibility , and I wanted to prove I could do it successfully. Our reward was pure and mutual joy for both us and the little children we were supposed to entertain. It was more than that actually; I learned that the real meaning of joy is in giving and helping others. I do not remember any other concrete , material prize I was given, for possessions lose all value once owned. What we should foster in children is intrinsic motivation that creates in them a spirit of authentic , unconditioned joy. Nowadays, most reward systems rely on conditioned, extrinsic motivation: ” if you behave well, you get a point. If you get ten points, you get a ball!” what the heck! what will happen when the child gets the ball? It sounds more like an entrapment we devise for children:” no decent behavior, no points.” As if positive attitude must be conditioned and paid for!!! We must encourage positivity for the sake of self-fulfillment and communal service only!! Children must not be taught mechanical, materialistic, artificial responses. We need to give them a chance to GIVE their best for FREE!! But that necessitates a lot of instructional planning, which, of course, most teachers and coordinators would fight and avoid. A plain ball is much cheaper and faster to roll!

Thursday, September 27, 2012