Recent strides have been made by the Chapin High administration to reward good behavior. “Claw Cash” has become the newest school-wide topic of public opinion. The benefits, flaws, and purposes of this action-reward system have both faculty and students talking.

Incentives drive people to work toward some ultimate goal, and in this case, it is receiving a business-card sized prize. Yet, subjectivity exists in this good-hearted system of accomplishment and recognition.  So a question arises…what is the value of a single Claw dollar?

This can only be truly answered by the “bank tellers” of Chapin High. Because the faculty and staff of the school serve as equal distributors of the Claw currency, a judgmental role is created for these employees.  One teacher may see holding a door for someone as worthy, while another may think that much more extreme acts of generosity are required to earn the payment. This means a single Claw dollar’s worth can fluctuate depending upon the teacher. This introduces a new issue with the Claw exchange process called motivation.

What motivates a teacher to distribute Claw Cash? Many teachers see handing out Claw Cash as a burden and even as extra work, yet others are dedicated to picking out acts of good behavior. So, to motivate teachers, the Chapin administration is putting names of teachers who distribute into a hat for a chance to win a prize. This raffle is also being implemented for students who were awarded Claw Cash. However, is it worth a teacher’s effort to find students who actually earn their reward, or does it make much more sense to overly distribute the Claw money in order to boost their odds of being the lottery winner? Ironically, this is a dilemma of ethics that faces the people who determine ethical behavior. Ultimately, the teachers participate in the Claw Cash program to encourage and benefit the student, but this is a valid point of discussion.

Of all the questions surrounding the Claw Cash program, it is easy to exemplify the positive and just as easily attack the negative. There are pros and future cons that may face the C.C. program. The simplicity of the Claw Cash design opens it up for possible counterfeit. Claw Cash can be redeemed for a true monetary value of substance, such as a sandwich, which creates ample inspiration to forge Claw Cash for free food.

Another factor to analyze is the final prize of the Claw Cash’s value. Is food the best motivator to encourage good behavior, or are there other future rewards that could cause a greater inspiration for students to improve and display good behavior? These are questions that could influence the future of Claw Cash’s effectiveness, stability, and existence. Yet, after evaluating, criticizing, and analyzing the Claw Cash program, I would have to give it a passing grade. There have already been steps made in the right direction for the future of Chapin High school and the learning environments in the classrooms. Only one unanswered question remains…..do I get Claw Cash for this?