A few weeks ago I started a reward system for that difficult engineering class which made me cry every lesson. You’d think that at 17 and 18 years old, kids won’t care so much about collecting stickers from teachers anymore, but we are so wrong! Kids are kids and kids luuurve stickers big time! (even the Ah Bengs!)
Each week, I assessed the students’ behaviour based on the Terms and Conditions listed in the reward card. Then, if I find that the student has really tried to follow the rules, I would give him/her a sticker. An accumulation of three stickers entitles them to a Mystery Gift. The next three stickers they accumulate get them a second Mystery Gift. And then, if they do well enough to get the last set of stickers, I would take them to Swensen’s.
It was a surprisingly good lesson I had last week. Students were generally pretty hyped up about this sticker system because I was going to give out the first Mystery Gift. Barely thirty minutes (as compared to the usual 45 mins) into the class, I had the whole class nicely seated in their chairs.
Somebody’s mobile phone rang. “Oh oh teacher, he didn’t switch off his phone. No sticker for him.” One boy came late. “Oh oh teacher, he’s not punctual. No sticker for him.” I smiled at how cute they were at taking this system seriously.
You wouldn’t believe it, because I didn’t believe it. We started on our assignment. It involved writing two pages of job application letter. I didn’t know how they’d take to that much writing. Oh but lo and behold, they actually sat down and did it. There were even quiet moments in the otherwise crazily noisy class. All were writing, thinking, carefully putting their letters together.
I thought they wouldn’t be able to do it and wanted to give them an easier version of the assignment, but I am thankful that I was too lazy to create that version. Why was I silly enough to think they could not do it? Why didn’t I realise it was a question of ‘would’ and not ‘could’?
Later, I gave out the Mystery Gift – syringe-shaped pens bought from Bangkok. They were very well-received. Many of them don’t bring pens to class so I hope by giving them a pen with an interesting design, they would not chuck it away like any other.
Those who didn’t get enough stickers to exchange for the pen crowded around my table to plead with me. I told them if they wanted it, they had to follow the rules. I hope this would motivate them to want to do well in order to collect the stickers.
I know the miraculously good behaviour may be just coincidental or one-off but at least now I no longer have the urge to vomit everytime Thursday comes around.
