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Rethinking character education: challenging the conventional wisdom about camp and kids: a substantial number of people believe that camps can do more than provide an opportunity to have fun: they can also promote children's social and moral growth
Camping Magazine, Sept-Oct, 2003 by Alfie Kohn
Punishment is no better than rewards at helping children to become decent people. Teresa Pitman, a writer and mother, recalls:
"It's the first day of the summer camp where my daughter Lisa works as a counselor, and she listens while the head counselor sits all the kids down, lists the 'forbidden' behaviors, and outlines the consequences that will follow when rules are broken. Lisa tells me that after this introduction, one little boy says, almost in tears, 'I'll never remember all those rules!' Another starts to punch the child sitting beside him, just seconds after being warned about the consequences of such behavior. All the kids look restless, anxious--and a lot less enthusiastic about being at camp."
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In addition to setting an unpleasant tone, the use of threats invites kids to figure out how to avoid detection, or to weigh whether the forbidden behavior is worth the penalty. It leads them to regard staff members as cops to be avoided rather than as caring allies to whom they can turn. It makes them focus on the "consequence" to themselves of breaking a rule, rather than on how their actions affect others.
In short, rewards encourage kids to ask, "What do they want me to do, and what do I get for doing it?" Punishments encourage kids to ask, "What don't they want me to do, and what happens to me if I do it anyway?" But authentic character education encourages very different questions: "What kind of person do I want to be? What kind of camp experience do I want to have--and what can all of us do together to create it?" Positive reinforcements and punitive consequences (that is, bribes and threats) make it far less likely that the latter questions will even be asked, let alone answered.
Public recognition of kids who jump through our hoops therefore reveals itself as triply flawed. It's an extrinsic motivator, which can undermine intrinsic motivation. It sets kids up as rivals for artificially scarce recognition, thereby creating resentment and threatening to erode any sense of community. And it amounts to a patronizing pat on the head from someone who has the power to determine unilaterally what constitutes admirable conduct--a top-down approach that excludes kids from wrestling with the important questions about virtue.
This strategy, and others like it, is generally devised by camp leaders with the best of intentions. I share their commitment to character education in the broad sense. But many specific practices employed to bring about those worthy goals may need to be reexamined in light of research and experience. The bad news is that some of what we're doing in camps may not really be helping kids to become decent people. The good news is that we can do better.
Available from the ACA Bookstore
Books by Alfie Kohn:
* Punished by Rewards
* No Contest: The Case Against Competition
* What to Look for in a Classroom ... and Other Essays
To order, visit www.ACAcamps.org/bookstore.
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