Pay 15-year-old for book reports?

[kamo]

We are thinking of paying our 15-year-old son for book reports he completes from a list of books his mother and I create. We want to incentivize him to read classic books (e.g. Of Mice and Men, The Three Musketeers, etc.). My questions to y'all are

1. How do we ensure the book report is well done? We are not English teachers and we do not want to become his teachers or get into arguments for what is acceptable or not.
2. How to avoid receiving Chat GPT created reports? To know that he really read and thought about the book, and wrote the report.
3. What would you pay per report? $50? This probably works out to a wage of $10/hr.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and to reply with your thoughts and ideas.

[Normchad]

I can’t imagine any set of incentives that will lead you to the outcome you are seeking……..

[increment]

All three of you should read the same book, then have a discussion about it.

[rockstar]

Back in the day, I’d get a free Pizza Hut Pizza.

Looks like it is kinda still around.

https://www.bookitprogram.com/

https://www.buzzfeed.com/pizzahut/remem ... it-program

As a teenager, RPGs got me into reading and writing.

[mhc]

I took a slightly different approach with our children during the summer when they were younger. At the beginning of the summer, we would set goals to be completed by the end of the summer. The goals would include various categories like fitness, education, and chores. If they completed all the goals by the end of the summer, they could choose a special prize in the $200-300 range. It worked well for a number of years.

In addition to having your son write the book report, you could discuss the book with him as he reads it. This way you will know if he is reading it or not. This would satisfy the knowing if he read and thought about the book.

[greg24]

That doesn't sound like you are incentivizing him to read the classics, you are incentivizing him to get them done and work on a Word document.

[MrBobcat]

My 15yo self is recoiling at the thought and is digging in to not read those books at any cost.

Edit to add: What we did when the kids were considerably younger was I would read "chapter" books to them almost every night. We got through all the Narnia, Little House on the Prairie, LOTR books to name a few.

[rockstar]

Why specifically classics?

Getting them to read at all should be a win.

[runner3081]

I would not force, or pay for the classics. Let the kid read what they want. How about a book buying allowance instead?

Make it a monthly event to go to the bookstore and let him pick out 1-3 books to read. No matter what it is. Graphic novels, YA, whatever... all fair game!

Who cares about the classics, that could easily turn him off from reading. He will equate reading with being forced to read from your agenda and also being paid for it. Doesn't sound like a long-term solution for enjoyment reading.

There will be plenty of forced reading throughout his life in school and work!

[Kenkat]

Why don’t you read them along with him (if you haven’t) and then discuss them? More like a book club format. Then go out for ice cream, lunch, have refreshments, etc. At least with my kids, pay to play never really was a good motivator as it left open the option of them wanting to just skip the whole thing. We just had better luck with here’s what is expected, we don’t ask that much so it’s easier for everyone if you just do what’s asked.

p.s. everyone taking turns picking the book is a great idea

[SubPar]

I can only speak for my (15 year old) self, but being paid $50 to read a book I genuinely don't care about wouldn't have spurred some intellectual renaissance for me. I just don't know that I could've feigned interest in something I simply wasn't interested in, irrespective of the $50...still can't, if I'm honest.

Why not have your son choose a book (or topic) he finds interesting...or something? What's the actual goal of this exercise?

[mhc]

Why specifically classics?

Getting them to read at all should be a win.

+1

I agree with this. I read a lot on my own until middle school. We were then assigned books I did not like. It destroyed the joy of reading for me. I have been an avid reader in certain periods of my life since then, but I don't think all the joy has come back. I like to choose books that are meaningful/enjoyable to me. Maybe let your son choose some books that are meaningful/enjoyable to him.

[Doctor Rhythm]

Probably going to veer into off topic parenting advice. Paying children for academic effort or accomplishments is not something we would ever do.

[sailaway]

Family book club night will achieve most of your goals. Have a fun meal or special drinks and snacks to accompany the discussion. I would also alternate who picks the books, so if the kid suggests a graphic novel, y'all read and discuss a graphic novel.

I have a PhD focused on literature and I haven't read Steinbeck, even though I know that is what the Bugs Bunny bit references.

[CaptainT]

Now I was the kid that liked and still likes classic literature.
That said Nothing would have made me hate them quite as much as what you are proposing. I would have avoided reading them and found the cliff notes or other online summary.

Can I suggest a family monthly book club? Take turns picking the book, picking the reward dinner/activity ect. I can see someone picking a Sherlock Holmes book then maybe a train ride. Or a book about babe Ruth and a baseball game. Three musketeers maybe go to french restaurant. Everyone has to read the book , and do the activity/meal. But make sure can be any book on any topic as long as at least say 100 pages. On your months you can pick classics. But this way build the conversation about books and habit of reading into regular family life.

[Tom_T]

It's been a long time since I was 15, but I'm pretty sure that I, as well as everyone I knew, would not be interested in getting additional homework , from my parents no less, even for money.

[TomatoTomahto]

My kids were readers without needing a bribe and surveillance. I don’t know what to attribute it to, maybe having books read to them when little, maybe seeing their parents reading as a leisure activity, or maybe it was just “who they were.”

In any case, we did not insist on the classics, and anything they read was acceptable to us. Some of the reading was probably of silly books, but we were a mostly non-judgmental home. They turned out fine. No lit majors among them, but that’s okay.

I’m not opposed to bribes, per se, but it reinforces the view that reading is a chore or task, rather than something rewarding that you seek time to do.

[cvoege]

It wasn't until my mid 20s that I learned I liked to read. Reading the "classics" made me think I didn't like reading. It turns out being forced to read one particular type of book over and over again created resentment. I remember reading Shakespeare, being deeply bored, then coming into class for the teacher to go through and explain to us how what we read was actually filled with great jokes if we just knew a bunch of context from 500 years ago. The classics only really become enjoyable if you're already interested in context around them. The Great Gatsby is a great book if you are fascinated by the roaring 20s. If not it's honestly pretty boring.

I have a lot of respect for the classics. I enjoy some of them. But what would probably benefit your child more than anything would be exposure to lots of different types of books so they find something that really intrigues them. For example, in high school you get almost zero exposure to non-fiction. You learn history as a series of events from a textbook. Many think they don't like history as a result. Then they watch Hamilton, are stunned to learn that those names from the textbook were real people with motivations, flaws, ideas, emotions, etc. And they suddenly consume the 800 page biographies of every founding father. Find something they are interested in and there is guaranteed to be an acclaimed book on the subject. Basketball fan? Give him a copy of "07 seconds or less". Likes military history? "Napoleon: A Life". Etc.

[BrooklynInvest]

A great question.

I went to school in England. While it probably helped with my SATs the focus on classic literature was a huge turnoff for me. I read "Rabbit Run" freshman year of college and it reignited my interest in literature.

I've always read a lot for pleasure, even when young. Me, I'd perhaps connect extra reading to their interests and an associated trait - not necessarily classics and not for money. Dinner where they want, with a friend they want for example.

Have a little boy who's starting to read. Looking forward to others' answers.

[toddthebod]

[heartwood]

Here's the same type of question from the NYT on Sept 2

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/02/opin ... =url-share

It's an open link. I'm allowed to share a certain number of articles each month. I hope that's OK with BH rules.

[physics911]

How about setting up a paper trading account and getting them to read some Boglehead books?

As far as paying a kid to read...certainly not a path I would take, but I'm also not a parent for a reason.

[tsohg]

My experience is you can't make kids read books that don't hook them, that they don't genuinely have an interest in. Bribes won't work.

What worked for us was to find popular young adult novels that were written for kids their age, now they read on their own, and I'm very happy with that-- basically regardless of the book.

FWIW, the first one that really caught my daughter's attention as a page-turner was https://www.amazon.com/Troubled-Girls-D ... 0062275127 -- I found it with google/amazon searches.

[leeks]

If the child has plenty of writing assignments at school, I would focus on just the reading. Let the child pick the first book from a list of your suggestions. Schedule the time to read together, either all reading separately or taking turns reading aloud. I would incentivize with a desired activity rather than money. For example: after an hour of scheduled family reading time, everyone plays a board game of the child's choice, or the child gets to pick a dinner restaurant, or picks a show/movie to watch together.

Another option is to play the audiobook when driving together. My kids and I enjoy many great audiobooks together on our school and activity commutes (they also read tons).

[protagonist]

Terrible idea.

Why do you really care if your child reads The Three Musketeers?

If he doesn't have to read it for school, and he is not inspired to read it, bribing him will not turn him into an "intellectual" (if that is your goal).

And really...do you think he would actually read the book (if he didn't want to read it anyway) and write a book report for $50? That's a lot of work. Would the payment be contingent upon the quality of the report? Are you prepared for the family fight when you say it's not good enough and he has to edit? You are a parent, not a teacher.

Nor will reading a book for money make him particularly smarter, and certainly won't instill in him a love for literature. He's 15. If I was 15 and was offered money by a parent for a book report, I would immediately go to ChatGPT , get it to churn one out, and edit just enough to fool my dad. He and his buddies would have the last laugh on you.

I actually really like cvoege's suggestion above: "Find something they are interested in and there is guaranteed to be an acclaimed book on the subject. Basketball fan? Give him a copy of "07 seconds or less". Likes military history? "Napoleon: A Life". Etc.".
Or maybe if he likes sci-fi get him Dune, or Cat's Cradle, or whatever...if you want him to learn to love reading, give him something he will love to read...not something where he is only in it for the money. Maybe he will read it. Maybe he won't. No pressure (unless you want to turn him OFF to reading.)

[kamo]

Lots of helpful and diverse replies. Thank you for taking time to share your ideas. Will share the feedback with wifey and son and see where we go from here. Thanks!

[KlangFool]

OP,

There are plenty of books around my house. And, we read regularly and borrow books from the library with our kids. We do not tell our kids what book to read and they pick whatever they want, So, leading by example. Reading books was never a problem for our kids.

KlangFool

[Raycpact]

This is funny for me. When our children were past the "time out" stage we got creative on our punishments.

Our youngest son's punishment when in middle school was taking the books he was reading away for several days. It couldn't have done permanent damage, he went on to get a doctorate in biology and is currently a dean at a nursing school.

Another was punished by requiring him to read a fiction novel that we know he would enjoy and that prior to that he refused to read anything that was fiction. He ended up reading the entire series on his own. He now teaches only STEM classes. We tried.

Added: Our youngest child (the one who got his doctorate in biology) was a terrible student in grade school. We understood at the time that he would likely be limited to jobs where he used his hands or be a truck driver. When entering 6th grade he asked for a pet. My wife thinking that she could get off the hook by giving him what was thought to be an impossible task said you get straight A's on all 4 quarters in 6th grade and we will get you a pet. The rabbit he chose lived until he was in college.

[Grt2bOutdoors]

Zero dollars.

While money could be a motivator, it’s not likely your child will learn or absorb the content of any book this way.

Rather than pay, why don’t you let your child select the content of reading material from a list that school might provide?

[leeks]

A great question...Have a little boy who's starting to read. Looking forward to others' answers.

One of the best contributions parents can make to a child's education is to read aloud to the child from birth including every night before bedtime and keep doing so as long as possible. I plan to keep it up through at least middle school. There are studies out there that confirm the benefits such as vocabulary-building. They learn so many new words this way! It contributes to a lifelong love of books and keeping the routine reinforces positive relationships between parent and child.

Of course kids should have plenty of time to read independently and the ability to choose much of what they read. But even when a child can read fluently, the parent should continue to read aloud daily and include books that are above the child's own reading level. Hearing higher-level material, with the ability to discuss it with a parent, helps children build the vocabulary and background knowledge that advances their own literacy. Read alouds are the opportunity for parents to introduce the classic books and their personal favorites, while also taking requests from the child. The child might also enjoy getting turns doing some of the reading aloud.

For preschool and elementary aged kids, this should be at least 15-30 minutes of reading aloud *every evening* and whenever else the family has time for it. Our kids are 8 and 10 and we have read many of the youth classics as bedtime books and some we have enjoyed re-reading a year or two later. Occasionally we get rushed for time with activities or special events, so we then "cheat" by reading the bedtime chapter to them during dinner. Worst case - if something unavoidable makes us miss the bedtime chapter - we read it the next day at breakfast.

I understand teenagers may require a different approach - but hopefully family reading time can continue in some way even in high school, even if it becomes just a once-per-weekend thing.

Audiobooks are also a great way to enjoy books together, especially during driving times.

It's pretty self-explanatory but there is guidance for parents if desired in "The Read-Aloud Handbook"
https://www.amazon.com/Read-Aloud-Handb ... 014312160X

For adults who want to read or revisit the adult classics themselves, see Susan Bauer's "The Well-Educated Mind"
https://www.amazon.com/Well-Educated-Mi ... 039308096X

There is no definitive list of "the classics" but here are two book lists I can recommend browsing to select books to read to your children:

The Complete 500: OCLC
https://thegreatestbooks.org/lists/381
use your own judgement as to which are appropriate for children

Mensa for Kids' Excellence in Reading
(scroll down for book lists by grade range)
https://www.mensaforkids.org/achieve/ex ... n-reading/

[oldcomputerguy]

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