PAYING RESIDENTS ON THE PLANTATION FOR THE THREE RRRs

It has come to the attention of DCF Plantation blog concerning interesting developments at Connecticut Juvenile Training School recently. The majority of the residents are being paid [if they qualify] something called Cady Cash for things pertaining to school work. Cady is the name of the school at CJTS: on any given day you find most (not all) CJTS residents not performing well with class work; this is not the fault of hard working teachers but residents with a myriad of problems. Many of these resident issues focus on cognitive, behavioral, cultural and other factors. CJTS residents avoid learning like Dracula hides from a cross and sunlight: a bright executive decision at CJTS now says pay Cady Cash for completed homework assignments, picking up items off the floor, closing a door or being polite. Ergo, the three RRRs (reading, writing, arithmetic) falls to the wayside; teacher and resident sign a Cady Cash buck, then  a incentive goes to that bearer of Cady Cash. For years very little in way of enticements moved residents to want to learn, now Cady Cash is used as a fulcrum. Now residents turn in Cady Cash to teachers for snacks etc. I know getting students to learn in a locked down situation is hard, but what the heck- snacks for success.

I have witnessed more enthusiam for youth participating in basketball slam dunks in CJTS than teaching those three RRRs. Let me also point out most of those residents are non-white and one wonders if there is really a vested interest in helping them to learn. Bounce that ball but forget subject/verb agreement.