Motivated by Real Consequences

An article in today’s Wall Street Journal titled “Schools Get Tough With Tardy Students” details the ever-growing problem of tardiness in students of all ages and the tactics schools are taking to combat lateness. Some schools are offering rewards (ice cream parties, movies, weekly bags of popcorn, even raffles for bicycles and computer game consoles), while others are taking the punitive approach (ranging from a severe letter from the principal, to isolation in a special “tardy tank” classroom, to a visit from the police).

As PHAT Daddy and I discussed this, my first thought was: What is the big deal if kids are late now and then? Then I read further in the article and discovered school administrators are flipping out over tardiness because it’s a factor that the state and federal governments look at when calculating how much funding a school district receives. I never knew that. And I was late for school quite a bit. My next thought was: If the principal had told me that the school would get less funding because I was late - though the funding system was probably different back then - I might have made a better effort to get to school.

So here’s my question: Why are real-world facts and consequences kept from children? Surely even a 1st grader can understand that if they are repeatedly late for school, the school may not get enough money to pay for gym equipment, art supplies, computers, or field trips. Why not involve children in the situation, allowing them to own these issues and maybe even contribute a solution, as opposed to the typical reward/punishment tactics?