I was thinking about my last blog and how I could in the future if I ever get to be in the position of teaching a classroom of my very own students, how I could motivate them in a subject which some find unbearable. I am brought back to my second grade teacher who everyday would give three raffle tickets to each of us.  At the end of the day whatever tickets we had left (we could lose them if we were bad). We would write our names on the back and place them into a giant jar.  At the end of each day, she would draw three tickets from the jar.  The “chosen” would then walk to the front of the room and reach their hand into the mystery box and take out a prize.  There was always spectacular prizes, fancy pens which lit up, pencils that changed colors when you touched them, candy, and so much more.  She would then discards the tickets at the end of the week and the cycle would begin again.  Well, it did not take a rocket scientist for us to figure out that the more tickets we had in the jar, the better shot we had at having our names drawn. 

            Now how can I use this same concept for 16, 17, and 18 year old teenagers?  I really don’t think taking away their tickets for texting in class would get me very far.  I could however, motivate my students academically by awarding “tokens, tickets are for little kids” to students who for instance perform well on weekly pop quizzes.  These tickets if saved up could be redeemed for things such as a “get out of home work free card,” or “one day late pass for a major assignment pass.”  But you know there will always be that person who is the perfect student, turns everything in on time, and finishes the class with 107 %.  So that’s why at the end of the year I could have a Chinese auction for themed baskets.  I can have things such as a movie basket with movie theater candy, pop corn, and the latest blockbuster hit.  Another example could be an iPod basket that contains a new iPod and 25 dollars worth of songs.  An outdoors basket with flashlight, ham radio, water proof matches, and delicious freeze dried breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert is another example.  The list goes on games, sports, sport teams, Disney, coffee, tea, music, books, gourmet foods, exercise, etc.  The sky is the limit.  You are only limited to your imagination.