Bribery Robs Students

Domenick J. Maglio, Ph.D. Neo-Traditionalist

A bribe often works to get someone to do what someone else wants. The person on the take becomes motivated to do something he usually finds distasteful. Some special interest groups dangle donations and other benefits to change the vote of politicians. Businesses use bonuses and other incentives to get workers to do difficult or unpleasant jobs.

Even parents have resorted to paying exorbitant allowances to children to do simple chores. Initially it does work although in the long run it does not help the children to become better workers. Children have learned that they can get whatever they want, including money if they bug their parents enough. When parents have to manipulate their children by giving them rewards for contributing to the family, these parents have diminished their inherent powers as head of the family.

Being a help to the family and learning excites children who want to be more adult-like. Parents do not need to beg children to do what they naturally want to do.

We cannot buy off our children to make them industrious workers, nor can schools pay students to be enthusiastic and dedicated learners. Educators should understand that paying students to do what is in their long-term best interest demeans the importance of education.

New York City Mayor Bloomberg made national headlines in July 2007 by proposing that children be paid for going to school. On June 17, 2008 an associated press article “Today’s Students Find it Pays to Go to School,” attempts to resell the idea that all we have to do is pay children money for academic work and they will become excellent students. Instead of producing pride in the mastery of skills and gains in academic knowledge schools are producing mercenary students who have pride in the objects they can purchase with “their money earned.”

Government schools have a track record that goes back over 40 years of experiments with paying children to do their school work. Although it has failed to sustain high levels of achievement over time, this retread idea is again being employed in the classroom to supposedly motivate and change the attitudes of students towards learning.

It is not educational for government bureaucrats to attempt to motivate students by teaching them “life is all about money.” It is simply bribery. Instead of appreciating the time and opportunity to learn, students are lead to believe that they are entitled to be paid for the privilege of society providing them time for their education.

The inherent flaw in bribery is the reward has to be continually increased or it decreases its power to motivate. When the reward stops all together, there is no longer any reason to do the task. Pathetically, students are deprived of becoming aware that you can do anything you put your mind to including difficult academic tasks and feel it is a hardship to go to a multi-million dollar environment where they are given every type of assistance to enrich their minds.

Learning is fulfilling and uplifting. It is a naturally rewarding experience that children find exciting, as they become more independent learners. These natural rewards are an intrinsic part of the learning process while money, gifts, gold stars or cookies are extrinsic: outside the learning process.

Too often educators are not exalting the virtues of developing students’ abilities to be well-rounded, aware human beings; instead they are sinking to the level of entertainers and bribers. Even this does not help to get the students to do the minimal requirements for a rudimentary education.

Once students are showered with material rewards they are robbed of the natural feelings of accomplishment. The competency gained from doing things right and realizing how to improve to be even better is also lost. The drive to succeed is more powerful than a temporary and artificial material reward. When a teacher becomes a manipulator of prizes he is an animal trainer not an inspirational guide opening up the world of knowledge to his students.

Educators should be humble servants to the students assisting them to gain the abilities, skills and self-motivation to become life long learners. Teachers should persuade students it is best for their future to take control of their own education. Only when the inner motivation to learn is unleashed can a student become an unstoppable self-learning individual controlling his own destiny.