Rewarding good behavior and exceptional grades has been a traditional practice of most parents and even some educational institutions. Psychologists heavily oppose this practice, believing it to undermine the importance of the learning process, decreasing the amount of joy from learning and a practice that leads to cheating.

Yet children continue to receive stuffed animals for learning the alphabet and serious cash prizes for advanced academic performances. Economists argue that reward programs allow children to strive for better academic performance and simultaneously financially support themselves or their families. (more...)

I work in the bank in the department of loans. I communicate and contact a lot of people but there was one person that I will remember forever. One day I came to work as usually and saw an old man who, as he said, was waiting for me. I said I was ready to listen to him. He said that he needed a loan because he did not want to lose his house. The landowner decided to sale the ground and raised the price to make people leave. To give a loan I had to look at the house. I got very astonished when I saw a shabby old house. I asked the old man why he wanted to keep such an old house in stead of selling it to the landowner for good price and getting a new apartment in the centre of the city. The answer was very short but wise: “This is the place where I was born”.