One day, last week, at my child's middle school, all periods were reduced by a few minutes each - to make time for a presentation on a magazine sale program. The students were offered powerful incentives to sell magazines for the school - cash, limo rides, special recognition at school and many others.
This is one of the many "selling" programs they have at this age - children sell sell gift-wrap for their science classes, cookie dough for their sports teams, car-washes for their club teams, girl-scout cookies for their troops, ...
There are people making money from these campaigns. The companies producing these goods and services are probably the biggest beneficiaries. The school/organization gets a small amount and the student gets a reward. Is this the right thing to be teaching students, and is it appropriate to put this pressure on the children (and parents) - "there isn't enough money, so you need to earn."
It is a pity that a learning environment is being exploited to convert students into salespeople.
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