Letter: Students need someone to respect and believe in them, not hand out prizes

So, the Tri-City schools are going to take care of absenteeism by giving students prizes? Whoever came up with that needs to go to the bank, take out a loan, and buy a clue. You don’t reward students for doing what they are supposed to do. Being dependable, responsible, and having a good work ethic are in themselves rewarding.

I’ve been working with truant kids for years at the Benton Franklin Juvenile Justice Center, and what they don’t need to get for attending school is a “cookie.” What they need is someone to respect them, believe in them, and give them some hope and encouragement, looking at them as something other than a test score or a dollar sign.

I don’t believe that hope, encouragement, respect, and believing in them were a part of the discussion, and yet without those as part of the process, nothing is going to work. So, I want to thank the Tri-City schools, because when I do my seminars all over the country, I can use you as a great example of what not to do.

This story was originally published September 25, 2016 at 4:25 AM with the headline "Letter: Students need someone to respect and believe in them, not hand out prizes."