It was a ritual in our house--read, record and be rewarded. But is that really what happened?
I remember going to a certain pizza place every month-(Red Hat Pizza Palace, don't despair--my kids still love you!) to redeem this valuable coupon(1 small -1 topping pizza-eat in only) .--This ended up costing our family a minimum of $40.00. I questioned the value of the 'free pizza program." I wondered....what would happen if kids weren't rewarded with pizzas, stickers or prizes for reading??!!
I must admit, as a teacher, I have once given prizes for the most minutes read, the most books read etc. Wow!--I must say I even grew pumpkins in the garden at the lake with the promise of giving the largest away in October to the reader that read the most minutes!( I had to drive home that 30 lb. pumpkin!--I really did NOT think that one out!)
Now, I think differently.
Why do we do this?! What are we thinking?!
I don't want to give prizes for the most books read. I don't want to reward students with pizzas and stickers. I don't want kids to think that they shouldn't read once the program is over or when there are no prizes to be had!
I want them to learn that reading bestows gifts and that reading is its own reward. Reading makes us life learners and makes us smarter by increasing our vocabulary and background knowledge. I want students to learn that reading is fun and life changing. Why do we as teachers need to make up games and rewards?
I want to teach my students that reading allows us to travel to destinations that we will never experience outside of the pages of a book. I want them to learn that reading at bedtime until they fall asleep is a natural and healthy sedative. Why do we cheapen and undermine reading by connecting it to an incentive program? Let's not lose sight of what the true prize is: an appreciation of reading that will add more to their life.
WOW! I love this, and completely agree with you. I does cheapen and marginalize reading when we incentivize it. There is just no need. It gives kids the idea that reading is inherently "work" and "boring" because why else would be offer rewards? No one would read without rewards, right? I don't think that kind of promotion leads to life long readers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts! You might want to check out Daniel Pink's book Drive. I'm reading it right now. It is all about the power of intrinsic motivation vs. external motivators. It's good.
- @newfirewithin
I am a secondary school teacher who absolutely despises USSR - uninterrupted sustained silent reading. I despise it because it muddies the pleasure of just reading as "reading, recording, and rewarding" do. Thank you for this.
ReplyDeleteKids will read when what they are reading taps into their interests. Often creative nonfiction is overlooked when making reading assignments. Some of us nonfiction authors are trying to build awareness for our genre through our blog: Interesting Nonfiction for Kids (http://inkrethink.blogspot.com) and the free searchable database on our website: www.inkthinktank.com. Check them out.
ReplyDeleteI can tell that I am going to LOVE blogging and its many benefits--references to great books and sites and also hearing others opinions.
ReplyDeleteVicki, thank you for passing on the nonfiction website--it looks great. And by the way...your own science site is amazing. The videos are really neat--I can hardly wait to let my class check them out.