Field Day Assignment #1

Here is a little background: In the past few years, we have seen a new—and somewhat—controversial trend spreading across the nation: cash for grades. This is a process in which improved grades and attendance are not longer rewarded by bumper stickers or certificates signed by the principle and stamped with a pretty little gold seal. Rather, these traditional means of motivation are being replaced with money, COLD HARD CASH. You may have already formed your known opinions on this topic, but here is one guy’s:  

Elizabeth Shi: What do you think about the implementation of cash for grades in schools? 

Anonymous Dude: I think its an effective idea. In Freakonomics, Levitt and Dunbar showed that the Chicago public school implemented that experiment and it worked quite well. However, there are still going to be cases where the children will slack off and not work. If there are cash rewards, then the wealthier students won't feel like performing well because they don't need the cash. 

ES: As an adult, you are working for the monthly paycheck. This is how employers encourage good performance and attendance. How is this different when implemented in a school? 

AD: I feel like being in the actual workforce is different from being in school. In the workforce, you're not rewarded with an A or a chance to get into a prestigious school. In the workforce, you're working to support yourself or your family, whereas in school, you're working to better your life for the future. I know that I said that giving kids money to work is a good idea; however, I don't believe that school can be equated to being in the workforce. 

ES: A school in a New York neighborhood claims that it uses this method because the students can easily make that same money illegally. Does this explanation validate this method for this school in your eyes? 

AD: If giving money to children allows them to do well in school while keeping them off the streets, then using money as an incentive is a good thing. 

ES: There have also been reports of students breaking into personal property and stealing checks that have been awarded to other students. In your opinion, is it worth it to continue this method despite these problems? 

AD: I think that that's understandable. It is the same thing in the "real world," adults rob each other in order to get what they have not earned. If we are treating children like adults, we have to be prepared for them to act like some adults do. 

ES: As a student who does not have access to a cash for grades program and must motivate yourself to go to school every day and get good grades, how do you feel cash for grades can affect a student’s motivation or work ethics? 

AD: It will encourage them to work harder in order to buy things they want. If they want a new video game, they will be encouraged to receive an A in History in order to get that extra $20 so they can purchase their game. I feel that cash should not be the best incentive, but in a real world scenario, a monetary incentive works the best. 

ES: Lastly, referring to Freakonomics, the experiment they conducted rewarded students who improved their grades from fails and Ds to grades of Cs. As someone who has been able to motivate himself to achieve a 4.0, do you feel that they are getting rewarded for less hard than others? 

AD: I feel that being rewarded for getting a C is absolutely acceptable. Most colleges accept grades of C or better, so when a student receives a C, they are helping their chances for entering college. However, I feel like a bigger reward should be offered for those who receive Bs and a higher reward for those who receive As. This will encourage students to obtain higher grades which will allow them to enter better colleges. I feel that some students work hard to get a C, and regardless of my GPA, I feel that if they work hard, it's respectable and they deserve to be rewarded. 

Evaluation:

Does he change his views based on new, compelling evidence supporting the opposite view? Yes

Does he refrain from getting angry when this new evidence comes to light? Yes

Does he recognize when he has made an error? N/A

Is he open to discussions with people who believe in the opposite view? Yes

Can he control his emotions while debating? Yes

Does he take time to think about his answers before he responds? Yes

Is he willing to accept other opinions? Yes

Is he curious about other opinions and thoughts? N/A

Does he refrain from taking an extreme point of view and able to realize that the opposite view may sometimes be correct? Yes

Does he base his judgments not on what he has been taught to be correct but rather what the evidence supports? Yes

He is a pretty damn good critical thinker. I mean, he made his views very clear at the beginning of this interview. However, he did agree with some of the points made to support the other side of this argument. At one point, at the question about students stealing checks from other students, he was able to understand why it happens rather than instantly using it to his advantage. His answers are not based on what he feels he deserves but what the evidence points to and how it could benefit and entire group of children, even if he does not benefit at all from it. Some of my qualifications for a critical thinker did not apply and that happens. Maybe I could have worded questions differently so I could judge him on those, maybe it just was not meant to be. Oh well.

Critical thinking: We have all been told to do it, and sometimes it is just like doing regular thinking. No one ever defines critical thinking for you. But anyway, critical thinking. Sometimes it is important and sometimes it is not. You want a piece of candy? You go buy it. You do not stand there for half an hour and pull out your iPhone to research the ingredients and the company that produces it and blah blah blah. No, you do not. Well maybe you do, but I have never seen anyone do that. But sometimes you really do need this “critical thinking.” Every day, you watch television or talk to your friends and they spew out all these random facts and whatever. How do you know they are telling the truth? Hey, they might even believe they are telling the truth even when they are not. That’s when all that critical thinking is necessary. Now it is up to you to find a computer or head over to the library to research what they are talking about. Yeah, it sucks, it is tiring, and it may feel like a GIANT waste of time. But it needs to be done. So when you are hanging out with your friends, do not be douchey and look up everything they say. That is just annoying. But when it comes to writing papers or genuinely trying to learn about a topic, I say be douchey! Scutinize every piece of evidence, question all the “authorities” on the topic, go to the library and read a book! (or just download it on your kindle, I always feel like there are diseases hiding in those books) Alright, my rant is done. Let’s eat! I have cheesecake. Do you? Muahahaha