Reid's+Speeches

We, the affirmative side, believe that students should get paid for high achievement. For one thing, it offers students motivation to do well when the schools are dependant on the scores. According to edutopia.org, it would motivate students who otherwise wouldn’t care about their academic futures. They would be given more prominent and immediate gratification than a letter or number in the records that won’t matter for years. It would also help the students refocus on their grades at a time in life when they have a lot to think about (like friends, family, and relationships.) Students who are below average will also be motivated to work harder to reach the level at which incentives are offered. For example, students who got a proficient or above rating at a Miami school were offered prom tickets and pizza. It would also help students reach a level at which they are proud of themselves. If a student starts at a D average and works up to a B average, they will feel a huge amount of pride in their accomplishment. Also, if the students are focused on their work and future, they will be less likely to make poor decisions that would jeopardize that future. These programs give positive reinforcement to the students, teaching them that this is more than people forcing them to work; it gets them positive reactions when they try and achieve. Clearly, a student incentive program would give students fantastic motivation to achieve and make good decisions.
 * Pro **

We, the affirmative, would like to restate our position that students should get paid for high achievement. We also want to point out how such programs would teach students valuable life lessons. One of these lessons would be to teach the students cause and effect responsibility. They will learn that not doing what is expected of them will result in them not getting what they need or want. A student will quickly learn that goofing off and not studying results in the loss of what they desire, such as a pizza party. Also, incentive programs teach students lessons about the work force. They will learn that doing their “job” gets them what they want, like a salary in the real world. It would give the students a beneficial work ethic for the rest of their lives, as constantly and loyally studying gets those rewards and transitions into a healthy, positive attitude to doing work efficiently and correctly, a valuable skill when seeking jobs. Another benefit would be to teach students the value of rewards and money. A child would quickly learn how hard it is to make $5 or get a coupon for ice cream, and they will learn to save for what they want, when they really want it, and not waste it on an impulse, or all of that work is gone. Obviously, a student incentive program offers many beneficial lessons for the students.