 | Hello Everyone!
I am new to your forum and joined after finding you while I was searching for information on a new "incentive program" our school has initiated. Several concerned parents, and myself, are afraid this program could quite possibly be more detrimental than beneficial, but we would very much appreciate the opinion of a professional. First, I'll type the notice that was sent home to parents to *vaguely* explain the program, and then I will list our concerns to see if you have any agreement or commentary.
Dear Parents:
Grades Kindergarten through 5th will be participating in a new incentive program, SURVIVOR ISLAND, to promote positive behavior and good attendance. Those students who enjoy good behavior and attend school every day will be given a prize at the end of each week. Those who misbehave (disrupt class, show disrespect, etc.) or are absent will return to the island to try again the following week. Each classroom has decorated a bulletin board or door with an island theme, with each student represented. Wish your child well and encourage him or her to remain on the ISLAND.
These are our concerns:
1) At this age, being absent isn't within the control of most children. We're not dealing with high school kids who can choose to "play hooky". These are small children who's PARENTS make the decision to send them to school, or keep them home. For this reason, we don't feel those children should be penalized for their parents' decisions.
2) Along those same lines, we fear that this will promote sick children, who should otherwise stay home and avoid the spreading of viruses, to go to school in order to stay on the ISLAND.
3) There doesn't seem to be any set boundaries. Even though this is a school-wide program (K-5th), there are no school-wide policies as to exactly what constitutes "misbehaving". There are *some* examples, but it is our understanding that it's mostly left to the discretion of each individual teacher. In other words, my 2nd grader might be booted off the ISLAND for one offense of speaking out of turn, while my 4th grader could have a teacher that will extend several warnings and leave her on the ISLAND.
4) One mistake in a week, perhaps on Friday, could prevent a child from being rewarded for all the other days of exemplary behavior before the offense, sending a message that being good most of the time, doesn't pay in the end. Further, if the misbehavior occurs on Monday, there is no incentive to behave the remainder of the week.
5) Nobody can tell us what the "prize" is, and in my particular case, there is ongoing concern for a school that continually rewards with candy. I have a child who is medically unable to indulge, and I fear she might remain on the island only to be handed something she can't have.
6) The decorated bulletin boards/doors contain school photographs of each child, with the face clipped out and attached to a "cartoon" body that each child was asked to draw. Our concern with this is; in a normal discipline program, ordinarily only the name of each classmate would be listed, and any visitor to the classroom would more than likely not realize which child is which. With this program, anyone who enters the classroom can *see* which children have been booted off the ISLAND, and we feel this promotes humiliation and exclusion.
7) Minor point...but while we're on the subject...we don't particularly care for the name. We realize that "SURVIVOR" is a very popular TV show, but we don't think our kids should see Elementary School as something one would need to "survive" as if it's a horrible place.
Please email me with any comments, or post them here. I'm not sure what your methods of answering are.
Thank you,
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Beth |
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