Frogs and Motorcycles

As silly as the image appears, it relates I promise.

Today, I have been reflecting on my service learning experience from a few semesters ago. One of my students taught me so much. Even though it has been a few semesters since I spent time with him, I still think about him often. I will never forget the first time I met Anthony. I asked him his favorite color. He said, "Green." I asked him, "Do you like frogs? Frogs are green." He said, "No. Sick." Another student piped in, "I like to eat pickled frogs legs." Then Anthony said, "Uh. You've got frogs jumping down your throat."

Anthony is a fun student because he makes people laugh. However, he definitely has some cognitive problems and probably should have an IEP and special help. Due to his unfortunate circumstances though, he just doesn't have the support he needs. I am afraid he will pass right through the cracks and will just be another statistic. He is an African American, born into a low socioeconomic family, and in the second grade he is already talking about robbing stores and selling drugs. I truly enjoyed the time I spent with him. He was a lot of fun and made me laugh. It breaks my heart to think about where he is probably headed. I hope that someone will intervene.

One thing Anthony taught me, was the value of reward and positive reinforcement. He never paid attention, but got away with it. He completed his homework, but generally filled in the blanks with answers that meant nothing or he copied someone else’s work.

One day, I decided to do a little experiment. I wanted to see if it was possible for him to become motivated enough to sit and pay attention. So, I told him if he would sit and complete his work, I would bring him a little toy motorcycle. He was beyond excited! To my surprise, he completed his work.

The next week, when I walked in the very first thing he said was, “You lied!” I asked him what I lied about. He said, “You said you would bring me a motorcycle.” I told him, “I did not lie! I have it with me today.” He was beside himself. I said, “If you get all your work done and you behave, it’s yours.” He was a different kid! He sat down and did his work. If I noticed him getting distracted I would just give him a look, and he would get back to work. I gave him the motorcycle, and he very carefully put it in his book bag like it was the most valuable thing in the world.

I thought I was brilliant! However, the next week, when he did something good he said, “You gonna give me something?” I said, “Not this time.” And he was back to his old self. I was at a loss. It just is not feasible to give him a little car every day. That is expensive first of all, and second of all it does not help him to become motivated on his own. I know that rewards work best when they are given sporadically. I think something less expensive might be a better option. I was talking to a friend and she said she used gummy bears, skittles, or stickers.

How much is too much though? Rewards diminish self-motivation. I suppose time and practice will help me to find the balance.

Frog Motorcyle image found at: <http://www.ananova.com/images/web/1214876.jpg>