Our School Outreach Coordinator at Kilo Middle School has created a program called “Team Glow-Up” to encourage students to view school as their job, in which they must work hard to achieve their goals in order to get “paid.” The mission of Team Glow-up is to reconstruct the habits, philosophies, and behaviors of participating students.
The slang term “Glow-Up” means “Going from the bottom, to the top, to the point of disbelief. An incredible transformation.” The program was created from the idea that when students transform the lens from which they view education, and its role in their future professional lives, they will see significant changes in their current grades, attendance and behavior.
Each week, students will be rewarded (receive a paycheck) for “glowing-up” in the following areas: attendance, behavior, and coursework. The students will be “paid” based on the work they have done that week to reach their goals in those three areas. For example, a student must be present, and on-time to all classes, in-order to receive payment in the area of attendance each day. Depending on the primary goal a student chooses, they will get paid more for Glowing-Up in that area, than the others. For example, all students will receive $50 for every assignment they complete, however if their primary goal is to improve their grades, then they will receive $70 for every assignment they complete.
In order to participate, students must create a business name to assume the identity of being a professional business owner, and each week their check will be made out to their business. Students are also expected to attend monthly “staff meetings” to discuss their progress and monitor their goals with the School Outreach Coordinator.
As students build their savings, they will have the option to purchase prizes by writing checks from their personal bank account. There will also be opportunities to “pay” for “Team Glow-Up” field trips, and to be featured as the “Worker of the Week” with their picture in the glass trophy case at the school.