So I have been talking with people over the past couple of weeks about Alfie Kohn's ideas on rewarding children being detrimental to their development, and everyone I have spoken with thinks that these ideas are basically insane. The point made over this week that I liked best was that its crazy to tell a child that when they do something, they should get nothing in return. Isn't this how the world works? A person goes to work, and they get a paycheck in return. They aren't just going to spend 40 hours at a job for their own self worth. That person works to get money, and then they go buy stuff with it. The person who sells the stuff is obviously selling it to make money also. Its the way the world works. So why should we tell children from an early age that when they do something right or well, that they should get nothing from it?

In a perfect world, where children are always interested in what the teacher is saying, Kohn's ideas would do well. But even the best, most engaging teacher in the world would never get every child fully engaged for a whole class. Its just not possible. So we have to give children an incentive to do well.