"A list for improving literacy with focus on middle grades." <[email protected]> on Sunday, September 30, 2007 at 8:00 PM -0500 wrote: >Can you give me an example from adult life (not school) when your #3 is >true? I do not feel consistently rewarded for proper behavior. I behave >in a way that I think is right because it is right, but I often notice >that people who take short cuts or do not behave "properly" seem to get >more rewards.
Hi! That's a good question, and I guess I have to concede that adult life is not always fair (nor is kid life, for that matter, even at the best of schools). I guess I do think that virtue is its own reward, and in that sense #3 is always true for those who would agree. I would also agree (how could I not?) that sometimes improper behavior leads to stronger immediate external rewards. But I also believe that "what goes around comes around," and that in the end good people come out on top. In the end, I can control my own self-judgment, but I can't control what others think. Hmm, so maybe #3 needs to be rethought... *can* we teach that "virtue is its own reward"??? Hmmm.... For the record, my own schools have certainly not been perfect in this regard. I have had years where I felt one little trip-up might cause me to be unceremoniously tossed out on my ear, and I have had years where it seemed the people who were truly student-focused and full of integrity and dignity were being just dumped on. I think I know what you're experiencing, and it truly stinks. Take care, Bill Ivey Stoneleigh-Burnham School _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive
