What‘s an ‘A‘ Worth?

For many parents, paying children for getting A‘s in school seems like a great way to motivate them. Sometimes it works. But it‘s not always that simple.

对许多父母而言，给在学校得A的孩子金钱奖励似乎是激励他们的好方法。有时这种方法会管用，但这件事并非那么简单。

Paying for A‘s can actually discourage some kids from working hard. It can create frustration and resentment among kids with siblings. In fact, if the ultimate goal is to encourage the character traits that will help children fulfill their potential throughout life, paying for A‘s can fail.

得A就给钱，实际上不一定利于孩子努力学习。它可能在兄弟姐妹中引起沮丧和怨恨情绪。实际上，如果最终目的是鼓励能终生帮助孩子发挥其潜质的性格特征，那么得A就给钱这种方法可能会事与愿违。

‘It comes down to knowing the child and what they are working through,‘ says Dan Keady, a certified financial planner and director of financial planning at financial-services firm TIAA-CREF.

注册理财规划师、金融服务公司TIAA-CREF的理财规划总监丹?基迪(Dan Keady)说：“归根结底，我们应该了解孩子和他们为之努力的事情。”

Facts of Life

生活现实

Almost half of parents pay kids at least $1 for getting an A, according to a July poll conducted for the American Institute of CPAs, a New York-based professional association. Among those who pay, the average reward for an A is more than $16.

总部位于纽约的专业协会美国注册会计师协会(American Institute of CPAs)今年7月份进行了一项调查，结果显示，约一半父母会给得A的孩子至少一美元的奖励。在那些给钱的父母中，给得A孩子的平均奖励高于16美元。

‘Paying for grades is one way to prepare them for adult life,‘ says Mark DiGiovanni, a certified financial planner in Grayson, Ga.

佐治亚州格雷森(Grayson)的注册理财规划师马克?迪乔瓦尼(Mark DiGiovanni)说：“按成绩给钱是让他们对成人生活做好准备的一种方法。”

‘One of the big facts of adult life is that you do get paid for performing well,‘ he says. ‘So this is a way of showing young people that when you do something well, you can get financially rewarded for it. And when you do something poorly, you don‘t.‘

他说：“成人生活的一个重大现实就是，你会为优异表现得到奖励。因此这是向年轻人证明这一点的一种方式：当你做好某件事就能得到金钱奖励，而当你表现糟糕时，什么也得不到。”

But sometimes it gets complicated. One danger is that students will see the value in schoolwork only when there‘s a cash payout. ‘The downside of using money as a motivator is that it discourages true learning and changes the purpose for learning,‘ says Neal Van Zutphen, a certified financial planner in Mesa, Ariz.

但有时事情会更复杂。一种危险是，学生只有在有金钱奖励时才能看到课业的价值。亚利桑那州梅萨市(Mesa)的注册理财规划师尼尔?范楚特芬(Neal Van Zutphen)说：“使用金钱作为激励手段的缺点是，它打击真正的学习热情，扭曲了学习的目的。”

That‘s not just a philosophical issue; it has practical implications. Some students will quit trying to learn once they‘ve earned a reward for reaching a specific goal, experts say. So the student who gets an A without too much effort might coast the rest of the way, never reaching his or her full potential.

这不仅是个哲学问题，它还有现实的意义。专家称，有些学生一旦因为实现特定目标而得到奖励，就不再努力学习。因此无需太努力就得A的学生可能会得过且过，永远发挥不出他的全部潜力。

For students who have a tougher time in school, paying for A‘s can have a similar effect. ‘If they don‘t get an A they can become discouraged,‘ reducing their drive to achieve their personal best, Mr. Van Zutphen says.

对于学习吃力的学生，得A就给钱可能有类似影响。范楚特芬说，“如果他们没有得A，就可能感到气馁”，减弱他们尽力学好的动力。

Rather than reward grades with cash, Mr. Van Zutphen suggests that parents identify skills and character traits that can support long-term success: things like self-regulation, determination, curiosity, grit and resilience.

范楚特芬建议，父母不应用金钱当作成绩好的奖励，而应该去发现孩子身上有助于在长期取得成功的技能和性格特征：比如自我调控、决心、好奇心、勇气和适应力。

‘Encourage them to develop these qualities that demonstrate that they will be able to continue to succeed,‘ Mr. Van Zutphen says. That encouragement can include cash rewards, he says, but other powerful tools include verbal encouragement and praise for children‘s efforts as well as their accomplishments.

范楚特芬说：“应该鼓励他们培养这些表明他们能继续成功的品质。”他说，这种鼓励可以包括现金奖励，但语言鼓励和夸奖孩子的努力和成就等也是有力的手段。

Family Matters

家庭事务

Rewarding effort, not just a specific grade, can be important in families with children who have varying academic abilities. A single standard of achievement for the family may discourage, or at least fail to motivate, kids whose siblings find it easier to get higher grades.

对孩子付出的努力──而不仅仅是特定的成绩──给予奖励，对于孩子学习能力不同的家庭来说很重要。家里只有一种成绩标准可能会让兄弟姐妹比自己更容易得到高分的孩子气馁，至少起不到激励作用。

‘It wouldn‘t seem fair for one child to be rewarded for marginal efforts, and the other child not to be rewarded at all,‘ says Mr. DiGiovanni, the Georgia financial planner. ‘When dealing with children, you should strive to be equitable, which is not the same thing as being equal. This requires greater effort, but I think it can be worth it in the long run.‘

佐治亚州的理财规划师迪乔瓦尼说：“一个孩子因为更加努力得到奖励，而另一个孩子什么都得不到看起来并不公平。对于孩子，应该尽量公平，这和同等对待不是一回事。这需要更多努力，但我认为从长期看这是值得的。”

Deciding on goals that merit rewards can be a discussion between parents and children.

父母和孩子可以讨论如何确定值得奖励的目标。

‘The kids will many times set the bar higher than the parents would. Kids like to be challenged,‘ according to Mr. DiGiovanni. ‘The persistence and discipline to get good grades are the real rewards, and they will carry those things throughout their life.‘

迪乔瓦尼说：“许多时候，孩子制定的标准比父母高。孩子喜欢挑战。获得好成绩所需的恒心和自律是真正的奖励，这些将让他们终生受益。”

Money Talk

关于金钱的谈话

Frequency is another factor to consider. Offering cash every time kids ace a weekly quiz can quickly add up.

给钱频率是另一个考虑因素。如果每次孩子在周考中得A时都给钱，钱会很快攒成一笔大数目。

‘The best number for each family is going to depend on that family‘s financial circumstances and the age of their children,‘ says Clare Levison, a certified public accountant in Blacksburg, Va.

弗吉尼亚州布莱克斯堡(Blacksburg)的注册会计师克莱尔?利维森(Clare Levison)说：“每个家庭给钱的最佳次数取决于这个家庭的财务状况和孩子的年龄。”

After financial rewards are doled out, parents have a role in helping the child figure out what will be done with the money. Does the child have total control over it? Should parents insist that some is saved?

少量发放金钱奖励后，父母应该帮助孩子弄明白应该用钱做什么。孩子是否能完全控制这些钱？父母是否应该坚持让他们存一部分钱？

One option is to put the money, or at least a portion of it, toward something for the child‘s benefit －－ maybe a car, a computer or savings for college. However parents choose to handle this, it‘s important to keep in mind that the ultimate goal is to encourage behavior that will serve children well for the rest of their lives.

一种选择是把钱存起来──或至少存一部分──用于购买对孩子有用的东西──可能是一辆车、一台电脑或存起来交大学学费。不管父母选择如何处理这笔钱，重要的是，记住最终目标都是鼓励对孩子今后有好处的行为。

‘What will the money be used for? Will this be discretionary spending?‘ says Jordan Amin, a certified public accountant in Edison, N.J. ‘If little Johnny gets $10 every time he gets good grades and uses that to buy a new Xbox and there‘s no savings program put into place, how will that affect his future saving and spending habits?‘

新泽西州爱迪生(Edison)的注册会计师乔丹?阿明(Jordan Amin)说：“这些钱将用来做什么？它是可以自由支配的开支吗？如果小约翰尼(Johnny)每次考出好成绩都能得到10美元，并用这笔钱买一台新Xbox，那么就存不下钱干别的事了，这将如何影响他未来的储蓄和消费习惯呢？”