Could You Imagine Motivating Minnesota with this Unique Incentive?

When I was in school, I was one of those kids who didn’t really excel, most of the time I just tried to fly under the radar and hope that the teacher didn’t call on me in class, unless there was some extra motivation on the line, then I would work harder.  

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There were a few reports from teachers saying that I talked too much, no surprise that I have worked in radio for the last 35 and a half years.  

I had an active imagination when I was in school, and one of the things I always wanted to do was drive a go-kart up and down the halls of my elementary school.  

We had those wide, long halls with wood floors. I thought that would be the coolest thing in the world to do. So, imagine my surprise when I learned this week about a school who is offering up something similar as an incentive to their students.  

North Canton Elementary School in Haywood County N.C., just outside of Asheville and near my hometown of Marion N.C., has recently purchased two bumper cars for their school. 

The school says they’ll give opportunities to drive a bumper car in the hallway for those students who work hard. This is such an “out-of-the-box" idea that I’m sure the elementary school kids love and respond well to it.  

But I’ve got questions, when will this be allowed to happen? I’m assuming the halls will be empty, they were when I would dream about riding the go-kart in my school.  

And what exactly does “hard work” mean. As one parent chimed in on the Facebook post, “just remember the kids with all A’s and perfect behavior aren’t always the ones working the hardest”. That’s a great point, sometimes I worked very hard to get the “B” or “C”, so how this will be judged will be very interesting.  

Also, what safety protocols will be in place to remove more chances of the kids getting hurt? (I’m really curious what the school system’s insurance company has to say about this as well?) 

As a kid who struggled, I applaud the effort to inspire kids in those age groups to work hard. And I hope they’ve got a well-laid-out plan for this to be successful and rewarding for the students. This will be something I'm sure a lot of people will be watching to see if they can copy this idea in some way.