Bribing Teens for Good Grades Is Newest Trend

on June 15, 2011 at 4:50 PM

I don't know about you, but I probably would've cared a lot more about my grades in high school if I knew every "A" brought me one step closer to a brand new car. Hey, it worked for the Las Vegas teen Kenneth Gonzalez, who was just awarded a Honda Fit by his high school for maintaining a GPA above 3.7 and keeping his attendance record spotless (no unexcused absences). Sweet!

Before your imagination runs wild and you start imagining a crazy, casino-esque high school with slot machines instead of lockers, the Clark County school isn't some super-glitzy institution that hands out new sets of wheels with every diploma. Not all graduating seniors with good grades and perfect attendance get a car, but they are made eligible for a raffle awarding a car as the grand prize and scholarships of $8,000 as lesser prizes.

I know this idea will probably strike a fair amount of people as just one more example of how we're raising greedy kids and emphasizing the wrong things (material rewards over a sense of accomplishment, for example). But let's take a practical look at this don't-screw-up-and-maybe-you'll-win-a-car approach: Teens (human beings of all ages, really) work harder when they're working towards something tangible. Seeing as how they're teenagers and have no idea what floundering through adulthood with no solid career options is like, I think the use of abstract notions like "success" as motivation is lost on teens. A car, on the other hand, or a big fat check, are easy images to bring to mind as incentive when you just don't feel like studying anymore.

Do you think bribing teens for good grades is a good idea?

Image via skarocket7/Flickr

About the author Jacqueline Burt

has written for numerous magazines, newspapers, and websites. She is easily bored and often tired, so she requires constant entertainment to keep her awake. Dance, Monkey! Dance!

Filed Under: behavior, driving, school

Comments (6)

jonellg

on Jun 15, 2011 at 5:10 PM

I plan on bribing my kids, I see nothing wrong with it.

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butterflyfreak

on Jun 15, 2011 at 6:51 PM

I don't call it bribing, I call it giving an incentive to do well. And I totally plan on doing that when my daughter starts going to school. We haven't decided on an actual figure, but we have a couple more years to decide, but we plan on giving her a set amount for every A on her report card. She will not get anything for B's, C's and D's, but an F will result in her losing some of her grades money. Straight A's will probably result in some sort of bonus, over and above what she gets for the individual grades.

navyma23

on Jun 15, 2011 at 8:55 PM

Its just like if you do your job right and work hard at it you get rewarded with bonuses or a raise. I don't see the problem. The problem is calling it bribing. Its not bribing if you are offering incentives to do better in school. I take my kids out for ice cream or a small something when they make good grades. And at the end of the year if they pass and have good grades all year long then I take them out for something big. They love colored hair, so we are going to the salon for some summer color!

Nonmember comment from MAP

on Jun 15, 2011 at 11:58 PM

I don't call it bribing. I was always a good student in school. The bar was set high at a young age so I was expected to keep up with those standards or "do my best" as long as doing my best included doing homework and asking for help from a parent or teacher when I was having problems. Because of my good grades, I was allowed to have freedom (within reason) and a car when I turned 16. If grades slipped or I made poor choices then privileges would be taken away. It's not bribes. It's rewards for good behavior and punishment for bad behavior. Mostly it's called being held accountable for your actions!

Zamaria

on Jun 16, 2011 at 7:10 AM

That's not bribing. It's motivation. My kid gets 5$ every time he makes 100% on a test. It teaches him that hard work pays off. Why would kids do their best if there isn't any reward for it? Weather it's a sticker or a car, rewarding kids for good things that they do is just as important as disciplining them for the wrong things that they do. Bribing a kid is more like telling them "I don't like you hanging out with this person. If you stop, I'll give you a car." there's a difference. You are rewarded for going to work by receiving a paycheck. If there was no check, would you still go to work? Nope! Your check isn't a bribe, it's something you earn. Same concept.

Tabzthemommy

on Jun 18, 2011 at 3:46 AM

I don' t think it's a "bribe" my girls are old enough and are in school so I already started drilling stuff in their head about college and graduation. They know if they graduate high school and apply to college and go, they get a brand new car. They also get a trip! lol The trip is for the graduation as a present. The car is incentive to stay in college because they don't get to keep said car unless they stay in college and at least get a associates degree. Then when the graduate college I'll come up with something.. Maybe help buying a house or a condo or something?

I'll do WHATEVER it takes to make sure they get a education and can support them selves.