So what do yall do for grades at your house? Do you pay? What type of punishments do they get if they don't live up their grades.

Honestly we comment on them, and call it good. EXCEPT the last 9 weeks. I will pay them for A's only so they have summer spending money. Well my 7th grade dd has just completely blown her science. I am so frustrated with her. The first 3 9 weeks are high enough that she is able to have a B as a final grade, but she failed this 9 weeks by not turning work in. She has a 92 test average. UGH.

So I need a new plan for next year. I am not sure why she just quit. Her other classes she has gone above and beyond. Teens are fun

She will be doingfor me her uncomplete assignments before she will be doing any of her scheduled summer activites. Plus I am going to figure out a science unit that she can complete this summer

Just 2 and a half days of school left here...summer is usually fun, but I can already see the ugliness.

By Kate on Monday, May 21, 2007 - 08:54 am:

Goodness! We have another month of school here!

We don't do anything for grades except offer a 'well done, we're proud of you'. My fifth grader has always been a straight A student by her own means, and my other DD is only in K. But no, we definitely don't pay her for her good grades and don't intend to.

Science is probably getting harder and it may be the subject she has the least interest in. I agree with her doing the work she didn't do in the first place, but personally I wouldn't force the science unit on her. I'd just talk to her about how next year that cannot happen!

By Debbie on Monday, May 21, 2007 - 09:10 am:

We don't give money for grades. They do get a "night out" for straight A's. We have gone to their favorite restraunt, out to the movies, Incredible Pizza, etc.

We really focus on effort. I have told both my boys that if they are studying, doing their work, and really trying, we won't get upset with them. My oldest is lucky, he just loves school, and seems to "get" everything. He has made straight A's all year. My youngest is just in first grade. He did struggle a little with reading in the beginning of the year. But, he tries REALLY hard, so that is what we focused on. He has improved drastically, and he is now right were he should be.

I know when I was in school. I hated math. I just never understood it well. I always did really well in all my other subjects. Maybe science isn't her thing. But, it would really bother me that she is just not doing the work.

By Debbie on Monday, May 21, 2007 - 09:13 am:

Oh...and if they don't live up to the grades we know they are capable of, they don't turn in work, etc, they do not get to participate in their extracurricular activities until their grades improve. My boys are very into sports, so this would kill them. Thankfully, we haven't had a problem yet.

By Ilovetom on Monday, May 21, 2007 - 09:30 am:

My oldest just made the Dean's List at the University of Alabama- I am busting with pride because- he studies. He has worked for it.

Yeah- I am giving him something good for it.

By Vicki on Monday, May 21, 2007 - 09:30 am:

We don't pay for grades except, like you, for the last grading period. I am VERY lucky that dd is just one of those that just get it. She really only needs to study in Science and Social Studies. She doesn't care much for those subjects, so it takes her more effort to get A's in those.

She is one of those that WANTS to do well. She likes getting A's and being on the honor roll and all of that. She would be horrified to not have her homework done when the teacher collects it.

That being said, I have also told her that all I expect is her best. If she just doesn't get something, and it has happened, and she gets a bad grade on something, she doesn't get punished or anything like that. IF she has tried. Now, if she just didn't bother to study or if she wasn't turning in homework etc, she would be in trouble for that.

The reason we reward her for the last grading period is that we can sometimes loose her during those last 6 weeks. We have six 6 weeks grading periods instead of 4 nine weeks. The weather gets nice and we start going to the lake all weekend and she is just "done" with school. So we do pay for the last report card of the year. That also gives her money for the store at the lake for ice cream etc for the summer.

Not turning in work would not go over good with me at all.

By Bellajoe on Monday, May 21, 2007 - 12:52 pm:

We don't pay for grades. My dh wants to because that's what his parents did. If they get good grades, which they have so far since they are only in second grade and kindergarten, we usually take them for ice cream or to Red Robin, their favorite restaurant.

We only have 2 more weeks of school here. I'm happy about it, since that means it's summer time, but then again i'm not looking forward to the "mom, i'm bored, what should i do" "he hit me, she grabbed me" etc. etc.

By Marcia on Monday, May 21, 2007 - 01:40 pm:

We don't do anything special because of grades. In our home, the reality is that only one of the 5 gets grades worth getting excited about. The other 4 all have IEP's. There's no way I'd celebrate 1 when the other 4 have no real control over it.
Nicole is graduating from grade 8 at the end of June. She's going to Quebec with her class next week. We bought her a cheap digital camera yesterday, as a grad gift. Her grades have never been good, but she has dealt with a lot of struggles all throughout her school years. She deserves this just for surviving it!!

By Dawnk777 on Monday, May 21, 2007 - 02:37 pm:

I think we take them out for a special meal. That's about it. They both got Vera Bradley purses for Easter, but we could call that a good grade reward, too, since they had both just brought home straight-A reports cards, before that.

My kids just want to do well, and work hard at it. They are self-directed for getting homework done and even if they complain, will still get it done.

Sarah's efforts were well paid off last week, at scholarship night! I think that is what Emily is working for, too.

By Mommmie on Monday, May 21, 2007 - 11:14 pm:

I don't do anything one way or the other. He's severely learning disabled, so it doesn't mean much anyway. I was glad to see he is reading above grade level now, but math, writing, spelling, yikes! If anyone deserves a reward it's his teachers for doing the impossible.

By Unschoolmom on Wednesday, May 23, 2007 - 06:26 am:

I don't give any grades (I'm raising kids that think grades are bizarre, if my teenage self could see me now).

We have a little year end picnic with some friends and relatives. It's mostly to reassure in in-law who wants Catherine's education to look more schooly but also just to celebrate what she's learned.

I'm sort of sharing a seat with Mommmie on this as I'm outisde the scope of the question.

By Mrsheidi on Wednesday, May 23, 2007 - 01:57 pm:

Not much time here because we are packing up, but I commend you for making her do the work. *You* know she can do it (ie, high test grades) but she chose not to. That's the perfect punishment because she knows now that you're going to make her do it anyway, so she might as well keep up on her schoolwork.

I would only punish her, and tell her ahead of time this fall, if she is doing bad in her class and she doesn't ask for help. As long as she is trying, and proving that she is trying, then you can work with her.

I think there has to be some sort of quantifiable result from school. Just like we get paid for good work, they should see that grades are like payment for their future. Really, school is just a way to see someone's work ethic and that's what the workforce is all about...everyone WANTS the big money but do they WANT IT BAD ENOUGH???

By Mommmie on Wednesday, May 23, 2007 - 04:55 pm:

I was listening to a local call in radio show and the 2 hosts asked parents to call in with how much they pay for grades. One lady in the rich part of town said she paid the "going rate" of $1,000 for As, $750 for Bs and $500 for Cs and that's every 6 weeks!! The hosts had a field day with that one, but the lady stood firm and said it was normal and acceptable and expected in her neck of the woods. She said these kids had so much in the first place you have to really pay a lot before getting money as a reward is an incentive to do anything.

By Bobbie~moderatr on Wednesday, May 23, 2007 - 07:24 pm:

Now that is just BUNK.. That could prove to be more than what a minimum wage worker makes for actual labor.. No good can come from a child with that much spending cash in his/her pocket. How does handing out that much for something they should be doing to begin with teach them anything? I am guessing they are being taught that they don't need to apply themselves unless they will get paid WELL for it.. How far with this carry them in their adult lives?

My children aren't paid for grades, chores or anything else that seems to require a going wage now a days.

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, May 24, 2007 - 01:34 am:

That's ridiculous! My kids have been on the high honor roll, since middle school and we hardly do anything to reward the grades! In middle school, they just wanted the Award for Academic Excellence. In high school, I think the incentive has been scholarships.

By Bobbie~moderatr on Thursday, May 24, 2007 - 10:59 am:

A general education is a necessity in this day and age.. Many low income jobs around here are starting to require diplomas (GED's) for employment. We have 2 MC Donalds here in town that will only hire if you are an active student or a graduate. Brush off high school and end up unemployable in this town is the rate it is going. That should be incentive enough, especially for a high school student who should understand what poverty looks like...