Why do teachers use lotteries!?!?

keym ↓

Mon, Nov 18 2024, 4:00 pm

I like the point stores.
The teacher gives the immediate gratification - finger on the place, take a point. My sons Rebbi actually gives out beans over the day and at the end of the day, they tally their beans and add it to their point chart. Fairly simple because the Rebbi walks around the classroom with the bag of beans in his pocket.
I think boys get an average of 15-20 beans/points a day.
Every month, they have a store where they can buy things. They're not allowed to save month to month because the Rebbi feels they need the monthly gratification of the pen or wallet or notebook.

A different Rebbi that I loved had a standard prize a certificate for a slice of pizza and soda when their individual jar was filled with stones. So each boy got the prize eventually according to their own capabilities.

I find that good Rebbeim have good systems.
Lazy teachers go with a raffle.

amother

Gladiolus ↓

Mon, Nov 18 2024, 4:04 pm

amother Chambray wrote:

Dh runs an Avis ubonim. Everyone wants something else.

There is a lot of prizes everyone has a 1/3 chance of winning at the end of the zman he asks who never won and gives them a prize.

He also gives nosh and a small prize so the kids don’t go home empty handed.

Our Shul just had their raffle for Avos Ubanim this week, DH was there helping doing the tech stuff.
They did a chinese auction from age 6 +, throughout the summer every Shabbos each child got a treat and a 'cards pack' of some shul money.
they all got the chinese auction book on Sukkos and had a week to hand it in.
After all the prizes was drawn - they used an online raffle site that the kids watched live everyone else that didnt win got a book, exciting books like comics. Every kid left happy even if they didnt get the prize they put in for.
The next morning loads of men who saw dh was thanking him for doing it that way. (he had nothing to do with avos ubanim he just does the tech in shul when needed)

DS5 won his class raffle this sunday, he hadnt told me each week they have a raffle for whoever behaved, I didnt realise how each week he must have been so disappointed not winning.

amother

↑ Gladiolus

Mon, Nov 18 2024, 4:11 pm

amother Emerald wrote:

I agree. Teachers really need to keep track of what's going on and should be finding reasons to reward every child. If they can't do that, they should drop these sorts of games and competitions. One of my strongest memories is from elementary school. Our limudei kodesh teacher tested us on all the material covered in all the different subjects over the year through a series of partially luck based team games. I remember that I studied so hard for these competitions and I did really well too. I correctly answered every single question I was asked. However because of the way the games were structured , for some reason I was never on a winning team and despite all my efforts I ended up being the only one in my class that did not receive a prize which was an extremely attractive package of stationary and stickers. I remember being absolutely devastated. It's forty years later and I'm over it but as I said it is one of strongest of my school memories. I really deserved a prize as well. I'm sure it was unintentional on the part of the teacher, but she really should have been more on top of things. Sure kids need to learn that they can't always be the winners, but the teachers have to exercise common sense as well.

I dont think teachers realise what an impact it leaves on the kid and it never leaves us. I totally get your feeling of not getting the stationary. just the otherweek a memory of school when I was approx 9-10 came up, and I just burst into tears (was hormonal already) everyone got an envelope to put the tickets in and everyone got a nice one but she said she doesnt have enough, for somereason only I got given the plain white one. now I see it as such a stupid thing to be upset about but to a 10 year old its upsetting and I remember thinking the whole year what she had against me from the first day she took over the class - a different girl who wasnt in that day also didnt get the same as everyone else she said she was short of 2 but she got a different designed one when she came the next day.

Teachers please realise what impact you have on your students it stays with them for their life.

↑ watergirl ↓

Mon, Nov 18 2024, 4:11 pm

amother Linen wrote:

I don't love raffles but it's pretty simple as to why some use them: it's much more cost effective to buy one reward than having to buy several individual ones.
Especially considering that most teachers use their own money to buy prizes.

Well yeah. It's cost effective, but there is a bigger price when you look at the kids who lost.

If the teacher is using their own money, they need to come up with other ways to maintain attention, create excitement, keep control, and motivate.

I'll say it again - it's lazy.

A point system to free things would save the teacher money. Homework pass. Extra 5 points on a test of your choice. Draw a cartoon on the bottom of a test that will be photocopied and land on every kid's desk (they love this). Pick the recess sport for a day. Pick your position on the sports field for a week. Get a call out in the weekly shabbos sheet. Should I go on thinking of FREE things that will motivate and kids get to save up for?

Then you still get to give the kids tickets, but instead of it being a raffle, it's to save up.

simcha12plus

Mon, Nov 18 2024, 4:12 pm

amother Linen wrote:

this is why teachers use raffles.

but raffles are so hard on kids.
my 4th grader is part of a nightly learning program that only offers raffles as incentives. His heart is aching every night that he didn’t win. night and night.
I wish there was a way to save up for a prize. get cheaper prizes, but please stop with raffles.

amother

Glitter ↓

Mon, Nov 18 2024, 4:15 pm

I wonder what teachers would think if I told them that this year, I can't afford to give all my kids teachers a chanukah gift or end of the year gift of mishloach manos. So every time I like what they did, or every time I get a nachas call, I will give THEM a ticket and we will see who won.

OH WAIT.

My husband teaches at my son's school. THEY DO THIS.

Every year for teacher appreciation week, the parents are supposed to buy raffle tickets for their kids teachers for a few dollars each. The teachers get a list of who bought. There are a few raffles a day for a week with really good prizes. There are at least 100 teachers on the list. They make money this week. There are 3 raffles a day. My husband gets his list, BH a good number of parents bought him tickets, and he has never won the raffle. So at the end of the week, all he got was a soggy tuna wrap and a packaged brownie.

↑ Tindle ↓

Mon, Nov 18 2024, 4:16 pm

watergirl wrote:

I love the idea in bolded! My students would get a kick out of this!

I agree with everyone who are against raffles. There are so many amazing ideas from this thread alone of what teachers can do instead of raffles. Yes, it takes thought, but it can be done.

↑ Tindle

Mon, Nov 18 2024, 4:19 pm

amother Glitter wrote:

This is terrible! Do the teachers at this school like this????

amother

Dodgerblue

Mon, Nov 18 2024, 5:51 pm

amother Glitter wrote:

That’s horrible.

amother

↑ Linen ↓

Mon, Nov 18 2024, 5:55 pm

simcha12plus wrote:

I stated that I don't like raffles, or use them in my classroom for that matter, but I understand why some teachers do. I spend a lot of money on supplies for lesson activities, resource materials, as well as prizes (kids can save up their own individual points to exchange for an item) but I probably shouldn't. I really should be saving the money for my own personal life expenses. I doubt parents put much thought into the money that I spend or even realize that I do (and by the way, whatever tips I do get probably don't end up equaling the amount of money I put into my classroom/students).

Let the schools support the teachers and have positive incentive programs or prizes instead of expecting teachers to do it on their own. If parents want changes, let them pressure the school to do so.

amother

↑ Linen ↓

Mon, Nov 18 2024, 6:10 pm

watergirl wrote:

Maybe it's just my school but no, those things don't work in my school. The kids mostly don't do homework anyway (we are encouraged not to assign and we have no back up to enforce if kids complete it or not). Recess is not an organized activity, the kids aren't interested. If I started giving extra points on tests for good behavior, I'd be dealing with a huge line of parents demanding to know why their child didn't qualify. One of my teammates decided to try this sort of thing this year, and she quickly went back to her prize box, because it was too difficult to manage and the kids also didn't care enough for it to be motivating to fully manage her classroom.

It happens to be, I work in a school (yes, it's a religious Jewish day school) with a very demanding parent body and students with high expectations (I had a kid seriously ask me the other day why I don't have a Nintendo x as a prize option, I should just make it worth like 500 points. He didn't mean it as a joke. He really thought this was a normal request.)

amother

↑ Burlywood ↓

Mon, Nov 18 2024, 7:28 pm

Hmm I really do hear what everyone is saying. I’m debating if I should change my system now although I’m leaning against it. My students earn A LOT of prizes for various things (that I spend my own money on)

I have one small raffle at the end of the week (which isn’t even for a prize, it’s for extra stickers on their chart) I pick double the amount of tickets than the girls in the class so almost every time each girl gets picked at least once. I personally think for something with such small stakes (and yes I know things are a much bigger deal for kids) it’s okay and actually teaches them something about disappointment.

Either way, great food for thought, thanks for sharing

amother

Daphne ↓

Mon, Nov 18 2024, 7:33 pm

So much hating on the teachers! Even name calling (lazy).
I will attempt to defend the teachers. Disclaimer: I am not a teacher.
Teachers work so hard and their salaries do not reflect that. And they have to use their own money to pay for some of their supplies, as well as incentives. A raffle, with tickets that give immediate gratification, are useful in classroom control. Parents are upset that their kids are upset that they didn’t win and want kids to see a tangible benefit to their efforts.
Well here’s what we can be modeling to our kids: not everyone can be a winner, no matter what society tells us. Yes, It’s sad not to win, it’s frustrating to try so hard and not get the prizes. Tell your child you see their effort and acknowledge their feelings. Validate that It’s hard to be happy for a friend who wins- Especially when you feel you deserve it more. Not winning doesn’t diminish the effort. There’s always next time, maybe Hashem will make your ticket be chosen.
And parents, if you feel the prizes are essential, why not purchase the prize yourself or provide your own incentives so your children get a guaranteed reward.

Thank you teachers!

amother

Leaf

Mon, Nov 18 2024, 7:33 pm

Tindle wrote:

My son came home so upset today. He behaved really well and won lots of tickets for a weekly lottery and of course, he didn't win. He hasn't won yet this year. (I don't think this started at the beginning of the year.) Now it could be other boys haven't won yet either, it could be the rebbe only started this recently, etc.

But I hate the idea of lotteries!!! Can someone please explain why a teacher would use this as motivation?!?! Everyone works hard, collects tickets, but in the end, only a few kids win anyway. It's really not right. Wouldn't it make sense to buy cheaper prizes and give everyone who deserves?

(I'm not getting into a discussion about the use of external motivation. That's not my point here.)

Personally, I am a classroom teacher and would never use a lottery system in my class. I've never liked them and still disagree with using it. Just give everyone who deserves a prize, a prize!
There are so many other ways to encourage good behavior.

Vent over. What do you think?

I don't do it for this reason yet I understand why they do it in our school. We have no budget for prizes. I have 45 students. 20 in morning and 25 in afternoon. Prizes add up really quickly! Even though they can be the really cheap stuff, they add up fast when x45!

#MOMMY

Mon, Nov 18 2024, 8:12 pm

As a 4th grade teacher, I completely agree. So do not agree with raffles it's so unfair! I'll always try to do points etc, although bh my students don't need much of that kinda motivation!! Just the feeling of success they get and the feeling of making their (favorite Wink

teacher proud is usually enough!!
I have one contest that has a system with a prize based on points and a raffle IN ADDITION. Just cuz it's a cute prize that connects to the subject.
That's my take.

amother

Clematis

Mon, Nov 18 2024, 8:28 pm

Raffles teach many good lessons to children. It teaches them to be happy for their friends, not to be jealous. It teaches that if Hashem plans for them to receive a prize, they will. And it teaches them that the main thing is not the prize but the acquired knowledge.

Teachers use many different motivational systems. Raffles is only one small type. I think raffles are very important. Perhaps we can help our children shift their perspectives by learning these important life lessons. Not everyone wins but if you are supposed to you will.

It would be a big shame to stop raffles altogether. Better to help them accept the results.