Extrinsic Motivators cause Intrinsic Motivation to Fade Away

I have find this to be so true...How many times do we think we deserve a reward just because we did it?
I used to work for an airline. One of the positions I held was checking in luggage at curbside. I received an hourly wage just like the agents inside at the ticket counter did, but outside on the curb there was an added convenience for passengers traveling. One, they did not have to walk very far toting their luggage and two, they did not have to wait in long lines that the ticket counter usually developed. There was also an unspoken rule out at curbside check-in and that was when you used this service you would tip the baggage handler for checking-in your bags. To be honest my job was no different from working inside at the counter to outside at the curb, except maybe the elements of weather at times. What I found to be most interesting was when we did not receive a tip for handling a bag it ticked all of us off. We felt entitled to that tip. Would I deliberately check their bag to Kalamazoo, NO, but others did for this reason alone. Eventually, I did leave this position because I could not stand the complaining of my fellow co-workers of the entitlement of receiving a tip. My point being is when the reward came into play we felt entitled to it vs. accepting this was our job regardless of the monetary value attached. I often wondered if this was not an expectation would baggage handlers behaved in this way? The extrinsic rewarded affected our intrinsic motivation. I now ask myself as a teacher, have I taught these same expectations of rewards to my students and if I have what can I do to change it?

"Quilty" by Rewards

This weeks discussion on Intrinsic Vs. Extrinsic rewards as really hit home for me...I believe as educators that if we can get our hands around OUR behavior in our classrooms, we can make a huge difference in the classroom with our students. As I began to read the article "Punished by Rewards,” by Alfie Kohn, it open my eyes in a completely different direction. I will be the first to admit that I am guilty of teaching "Punished by Rewards" behavior to my students. Have I found this to be a successful tool? Honestly, not really, maybe for the moment but overall no! The word compliance jump off the pages at me. Kohn states "It is remarkable how often educators use the word motivation when what they mean is compliance." Wow is this what I have been doing? I never looked at it that way. I believe we cannot control behaviors of others but what we can do is control our own behavior. So I ask myself, what can I do? Instead of asking, what can my students do? I need to look into myself and change how I teach. Kohn states, "Kids deserve engaging curriculum and a caring atmosphere so they can act on their natural desire." I believe I have always tried to give unconditional support, encouragement and love, but where "I have failed is..." how often have I asked students indirectly through praise and external rewards to "Jump through my hoops, and only then will I..." instead of always teaching my students something worth learning that they can identify with in real-life, building a real community without manipulating cooperative participation and giving them choices instead of directions. This article has definitely given me a different outlook on how I have used manipulation in my teaching . Is this controversial, yes, but only to those in denial. Just like in the example " When parents say, I asked my kid to clear the table after dinner, and he said, "What are you going to give me for it?" Is similar to when "Teachers say, do your homework, and students say, "What will I get for doing it or what will I not lose?" What we must ask ourselves is not what the child/student said, but "Where are they learning this behavior.?" I know my answer.

Inspiration

Okay...after the lousy rejection process of trying to find a teaching position and now that I have had some time to sulk in my misery, I feel inspired again to keep trying. After reading this quote that Ellen posted for our readings this week, it really hit home for me. "I never failed once. It just happened to be a 2000-step process."— Thomas Edison, when asked how it felt to fail 2000 times before successfully inventing the light bulb. I liked Thomas Edison's line of thinking. He did not look at his attempts as failures. He thought of them as steps for him to reach his goal, "Inventing the Light Bulb." I, too, will be inspired by Thomas Edison, and attribute my unsuccessful attempts of landing my first teaching position to the many steps I must take to reach my goal, which is teaching to elementary age students. Thanks Thomas for lifting me up when I needed it most.

Self-Efficacy in the Toliet

My self-efficacy is in the toliet!!! I have interviewed for 12 teaching positions and received 12 NO's!!! I have been either told we have hired an internal candidate or someone with more experience. I do not know how much more I can take of this rejection. It really hurts and I now have alot of self-doubt.

I believe children are our future and I would like to make a difference in a child’s life. Education is powerful and a liberating force. It enables an individual to move him or herself from the darkness of ignorance into the rays of enlightenment. I believe a quality education produces confidence, intellectual independence, and the skills necessary for one to become a productive citizen of society.

I believe that every child is entitled to an equal education. I emphasize equality of results rather than equality of opportunity, for each student is unique. Students should be treated as an individual, with his or her own learning styles. My goal as an educator is to provide for my students academically, emotionally, and physically with 100% of my effort. Our children are our future and it is our responsibility as leaders to provide them with positive role modeling and a quality education. I will lead by example.

My goal is to create an atmosphere where children want to learn. I strongly believe in providing emotional support to students. I believe as our society becomes more diverse, the need for understanding and acceptance of differences becomes more important. The difference in academic performance among children from different classes or groups (ethnic, racial, income) is referred to as the achievement gap. Children of poverty generally achieve at lower levels than children of middle and upper classes. The causes are numerous and are related to both the social environment in which poor children live and the education they receive in school. Factors such as the quality of student learning behaviors, home environment, past experiences with education, and teacher attitudes are among the many influences on student achievement. Slavin (1998) proposes that schools can have a powerful impact on the academic achievement and success of all children by viewing them as at-promise rather than at-risk and preparing them to reach their full potential. One of the social issues facing children of poverty is emotional trauma. The emotional climate can often be very stressful and emotionally depriving. The lack of emotional nurturing can lead to feelings of alienation, inadequacy, depression and anxiety. Aggressive or impulsive behavior and social withdrawal can also result. Emotional security and self-esteem are often lacking. There is a craving for attention and a need to belong (Ciaccio, 2000; Brophy, 2000). The characteristics that are lacking in the poverty environment are those that help foster effective learning and academic success. Emotional draining and negative self-status can literally zap the motivation to learn out of children.
I believe we need to place an emphasis on sparking that desire to learn or (motivation) by not only helping to restore the child’s self-image but also by encouraging students to see the demands and rewards of schooling. Children will work hard, for intrinsic rewards, only if they have a very good reason (Ciaccio, 2000). We need to make them feel that they are lovable, important and acceptable human beings by making them feel secure and good about themselves and by building trusting respectful relationships with them (Bassey, 1996). The teacher may be the dependable and caring adult, often the only adult of this kind, who is a consistent and reliable figure in their lives of unpredictability and change (Bowman, 1994). Positive and respectful relationships of this nature are essential for at-risk students (Hixson and Tinsmann, 1990; Ciaccio, 2000). potential.
I want to serve children who come from lower economical background. I feel this is where the greatest need is. I believe learning is the key to empowerment and success.