They should do this in all the schools...

[gemini26]

Last year our schhol implemented a bonus bucks deal and manners program in the fourth grade. My oldest went through it. This year they are doing it K-6th since it went so well. Basically all kids must answer with a yes or no sir or ma'am, please, thank you, and excuse me. If they do then they earn bucks that they can turn in to go on field trips, get 50 cents to spend at the candy room, or get into the teacher's box in their classroom. If they forget to be polite or just say yeah instead of yes sir or ma'am then they get bucks taken away. In my oldest daughter's class they get to write out checks they use to redeem their bonus bucks. The younger grades use stickers to keep track. My daughter uses these very automatically now and my youngest has definately picked up on it. I have always taught them to say please and thank you and excuse me but did not push the yes or no every time they made a response. Also to make it positive the teachers must do the same thing and if the kids catch them not then the teachers lose bucks as well. Then there are things the kids can decide the teacher has to do for his infraction. Great program!

[sea-shell]

That does sound like an idea.

[GeThang]

That is excellent! A wonderful idea, and a great way to teach manners.

[gemini26]

Yes, it has worked really well from what I have been able to observe and does not take all that much time.

[ocvachick]

Sounds great.... but why pay off kids to be nice when they should be already?

[gemini26]

Its better to do this as it is a positive reinforcement than nothing at all. Kids around here are much nicer than kids from other areas. Also the whole check thing is teaching the kids how to manage their "bucks" and save for more important things. They also learn how to and do write actual checks. So a total learning process all in all.

[gloria96]

Sounds like a good idea, think I might try this at home.
The kids are getting a little lax about it, and I am always saying Yes what, No what.

[gemini26]

Originally posted by Fireball
I agree.
When we were kids, we had to be polite. No 2 ways about it, we didn't have a choice, that was
THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR.
When you teach kids it is the ONLY acceptable behavior, they do it.
You don't have to pay them.

Paying kids to be polite teaches them that they should only do good things if they're going to get something out of it for themselves, rather than because it's the right thing to do in civil society.
Well there are many parents now a days that don't expect this type of thing from their kids so someone needs to teach them. Also there are many things in this world were you do something because you expect a reward. You get a college education and get rewarded for that degree and a better job, you do your job for your reward of your paycheck, etc, etc SO tell me how in your perfect soceity anything would get done without some sort of reward, or in your words payment???