09/19/2026
I like giving treats and snacks. I don’t like hearing a student ask what I’m going to give them for completing an assignment. I will definitely cut back on the treat/snack giving. If I give some, I make sure it’s not for a specific assignment. I may randomly give them out after several activities. We all like rewards and treats. But, we’re not always going to be rewarded for doing what we’re suppose to do. We complete assignments in school, we get a grade. We complete our work on a job, we get paid.
🤯 WHY DO KIDS NEED A PRIZE JUST TO DO WHAT THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO DO?
I KNOW somebody is about to get mad. 😂
But we need to talk about it.
Do your work?
Prize.
Follow directions?
Points.
Come to school?
Reward.
Read a book?
Prize.
Behave appropriately?
Reward.
Finish your assignment?
Celebration.
At some point a teacher is standing there like...
CAN YOU JUST DO IT BECAUSE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO IT??? 😭
There is absolutely a place for incentives in schools.
They can be fun.
They can motivate kids.
They can help establish new habits.
But EVERYTHING cannot require a transaction.
Because eventually kids enter a world where nobody is standing beside them with a treasure box because they completed a basic responsibility.
Sometimes you clean your house because it's dirty.
Sometimes you show up on time because people are counting on you.
Sometimes you finish something because you said you would.
Sometimes you do something boring because IT NEEDS TO BE DONE.
That's part of growing up.
And when every basic expectation comes with:
“What do I get?”
We might want to ask ourselves what we're actually teaching.
Kids should absolutely be celebrated.
But there's also something worth teaching about the satisfaction that comes from being responsible WITHOUT somebody dangling a prize in front of you.
💬 Teachers, have you noticed more students asking “What do we get?” before they'll participate in something?
