If putting in a few extra hours of studying a week for a big test gave students a chance to earn extra bucks, would it be worth it or should money be kept out of grades in the school system entirely?  Some say it could cause extra stress on the students while others believe it would motivate students to really sit down, focus, and push themselves to learn more than they usually would.

When it comes to motivating the students to work harder in their school work, many have believed that paying students to do school work will give them a reason to actually do it. Some might even say that school is equivalent to a job.

When junior Gavin Jones was asked the question, he believed that students do deserve a little bit of a cash bonus. This could be helpful to help prepare students for the future when they are getting paid in a job but some argue it could be too early.

 “Yes, I think that we spend a ton of time in school and if it was anything like working a full time job, we should also be getting paid for it.” 

While spending most of a day and week at school, students feel as if school is like a job but is it really equivalent to the real world’s workplace? There are children all around the world struggling with getting an education and would putting money into students that already have one be such a good idea? It depends on who you ask.

“No. I don’t think so” says junior Caden Allaire. “Students already get their education for free so they kind of are paid already, and getting an education is a gift that lots of people would give anything to get around the world.”

Others argue that the school teaches good discipline and really reflects the students work ethic and how bad they really want to succeed. The money could be an incentive that hurts or drives learners. Another student was asked a similar question only to lead to the same conclusion.

“No, I don’t think so,” says Emily Strand, a student of Kelly Walsh for three years. “I think working for good grades teaches you good discipline, but if you get paid you only work hard for the money.”

This raises the thought that maybe getting paid could lead students to the belief that working hard can only be done if there’s money involved. While putting money into students varies in beliefs of different students, most would say they have a common goal, and that is to succeed.