A mother's unconventional approach to motivating her son during his GCSE exams has sparked a heated debate among parents and educators alike. Lynn Beattie, a 47-year-old personal finance expert, has devised a bonus scheme that rewards her 16-year-old son with cash incentives based on his exam results. The scheme, which Beattie claims will prepare her son for adult life, offers £0 for every grade 3, D/E to U, or below, £10 for a grade 4 C/D, £25 for a grade 5, C, £40 for a grade 6, B, £50 for a grade 7, A, £75 for a grade 8, A*, and a whopping £100 for a grade 9, A**=).
Beattie estimates that she will be paying her son around £600 for his 10 results, based on his predicted grades. While some parents have praised the idea, others have questioned the decision to reward the result rather than the effort. Critics argue that intrinsic motivation is essential in life and that rewarding outcomes with cash teaches pupils to expect tangible rewards for hard work, which may not always be representative of the real working world.
In response to the criticism, Beattie maintains that her strategy prepares her son for adult life, stating, "In my experience, when I've worked hard, I've been paid well, he's 16 and I'm preparing him for adult life by doing this." She also acknowledges that her approach may vary for her other children, who have different academic abilities and needs.
Beattie encourages her son to use the money to fund his summer plans while also putting some aside to save, viewing it as an exercise in budgeting. She posted the idea on her finance Instagram page, Mrsmummypennyuk, which led to a flood of comments questioning her decision. Some users suggested that rewarding effort rather than results would be more appropriate, while others praised the idea, sharing their own experiences with similar reward systems.
In response to the criticism that effort should be rewarded, Beattie agrees but argues that it can be hard to measure. She questions whether any parent truly knows how much revision their children are putting in and asserts that she knows her son is putting in a lot of effort and cares about achieving good results.
Others have questioned Beattie's decision to use money as a motivator, but she maintains that money has always motivated her and that her children, as a product of her, are similarly motivated. She argues that in many jobs, hard work leads to advancement and higher earnings, proving her point about the realities of adult life and the need for money to survive.
Beattie's controversial reward scheme has gone viral, sparking a broader conversation about the role of extrinsic motivation in education and the potential long-term effects on children's attitudes towards learning and work. While some praise her for working hard and earning enough to reward her child, others criticize the emphasis on monetary rewards over intrinsic motivation and the love of learning.
