I had a conversation with a student that went a little something like this:

Student: Tia, can today be prize day?

Me: Well, your sticker card isn’t full yet, but let’s see how close we can get.

Student: But, my stickers are so small it’s taking forever!!

Me: How about this? If we can finish 1 extra story today, I’ll give you bonus stickers.

You know what happened next? The student did an extra story, and I loaded that sticker card up! My kiddo needed a win that day. I gave her one. Are you judging me yet? It’s ok if you are. Bribery is bad. Right? I would argue not. After all, we do things all the time specifically for a reward. Go to work, get paid. Work out, lose weight. Go to school, get a better job. You get my point. All we’re talking about are external motivators. A reason for doing something that is completely outside of yourself. Sometimes this simply boils down to doing something because you’re required. For kids, going to school is that example. If most children had a choice, they would absolutely take a snow day, every day! They don’t want to go, but parents require them to do so.

So, why work so hard to create an external motivator for a student. Simple. I want the external motivator to lead them to success, so that, that success leads to internal motivation. That is my goal. Every time! I will become their motivator, until they become it for themselves. I’ve seen the greatest changes occur once they have experienced success. Forcing them to read, use a graphic organizer, or try a task repeatedly that is painful for them to do, is much easier if there’s a reward to focus on. “Keep your eye on the prize”. Literally. After so many weeks of earning prizes, suddenly there’s less focus on the prize, and more bragging on how they earned the prize. Now they’re celebrating their work! It is at this point that we can begin setting next goals together, and guess what? If they own the goal, they own the success. Prizes are now just fun. An added bonus to a job well done. I’ve not seen this not work. It takes longer for some than others, but it works.

This is not a new concept, nor am I oversimplifying what can be a significant challenge. In some cases, a lack of motivation points to a more serious concern. Consulting a psychologist or therapist would be a helpful step in that case. It’s also important to note that not every student requires this kind of reinforcement. Those students with intrinsic motivation do exist, and are just as much fun! This student though, my kiddo from that conversation, is the resistant student. The one who is hard on themself, and often unwilling to try a task that’s difficult. The one who will read with you, as long as you actually do the reading. The one who cries when asked to write sentences, or practice their spelling words. So, when asked, “How do I get him to…?” My response always, is positive reinforcement. Otherwise known as bribery, or as I prefer to call it, motivation. If they don’t have that drive to push themselves, give them something to reach for, and pull them up! Celebrate the successes along the way, and then let their success take over that role.

Need ideas for motivational charts, or reward systems? Pinterest has a ton! You can also feel free to comment below, or shoot me an email here. I’d be happy to share resources!

-Tia