Opinion

Should students be rewarded for good grades?

Reporter Cara O’Beirne

For a lot of kids in high school, it is difficult to find the drive and motivation to do well in school. Only a few students strive to do their best and receive good grades without any incentive, and others just need a little push to help them. Lack of motivation is a huge issue when kids are in class and when they have work to do. Some students believe that if there is no reward, they should not do their best, and that directly affects their college and career opportunities. Parents, teachers, and even students would benefit from rewarding students for their good grades.

If a student is rewarded for good grades or doing good in school, parents of the student are benefited also. If their child is doing good in school without their parents constantly telling the student to do better, it could take a lot of pressure and stress off of them. Every parent wants their child to do their best, and when the student doesn’t have a reason to try, it is difficult to motivate them enough. Rewarding the student doesn’t have to be money for every good grade they receive, but it could be money every report card or some type of reward that pushes the student to want good grades.

Teachers would greatly benefit from the students grades, but this starts with the motivation for the students to get them. Every teacher has to show their students’ grades to the principal and their bosses above them, and they want to show that they are a good teacher and that most of their students receive high grades in their classes. But in some cases it is not that they are good teachers, it is only that the student’s lack of motivation to work hard and actually learn while they are in the class is affecting how they do. The rewarding doesn’t only have to be done at home, it can be done in the classroom too. Teachers can use simple things such as single pieces of candy or bathroom passes for every good grade, and that alone would motivate students more.

Students being motivated in school can positively affect their current life in school and also their future with colleges and job opportunities. Unmotivated students who do not strive to get good grades don’t get noticed by colleges, making it difficult for them to get into good colleges. If a student had certain things to look forward to in school and reasons to try their best, their grades would improve to receive those rewards.

There is a widespread issue of the lack of motivation in schools everywhere, and this is not good for the students, parents, and teachers. Rewarding students for good grades would benefit them greatly in regards to college and future jobs. Some kids just lack the drive to achieve higher grades on their own, and need a little bit of a push or goal to work towards.