Last updated on October 27th, 2023 at 03:55 pm
My husband recently recounted a story of his beloved Sunday School teacher. Apparently she had used a simple bowl of candy to motivate the class in finding Scripture references quickly. He recalled wistfully: “You never heard those paper-thin pages flying so fast.”
That got me thinking of this long-held tradition of rewarding children through tiny packages of sugar, fruity flavors, and high-fructose corn syrup.
Using treats as student rewards
I’ll preface this by admitting that food is my love language. I try to fix everything with food.
As a hobbyist baker, I brought in many homemade treats for my students when I taught full-time. I embraced sweets as an occasional rewarding surprise. The sweets would have mounted unwanted extra expenses as a systematic and regular offering, but they delighted the students on special days from time to time.
Now that I’m substitute teaching, I’ve considered the utility of colorful confections again.
Subs are not blessed with the long-term behavior management tools of a classroom teacher. The advantages of rapport, trust, and relationships cultivated through time are not on the substitute’s side. So we often must seek out more tangible, external methods of rewards.
A case for candy in the classroom
Though it’s not my main behavior management strategy (nor is it plan B or even C) I’ve used candy with success as a substitute teacher.
I’d even credit candy with saving the day for me on my most recent job covering a high school Culinary 1 class. Flying blind without a lesson plan, I managed to unearth a word search about eggs among the teacher’s piles of paperwork and made copies. I told each period of students to finish their textbook reading assignment and then work on the eggs word search or study for another class. If students were working quietly, on anything even remotely academic looking, I slyly slid them an Andes mint as a reward.
Not everyone responded to the delicious chocolate mints, but at least half of the students did. That was enough to sustain a relatively orderly period, class after class.
Candy still remains low on my list of possible incentives– there are dozens of others rewards that are free, easy, and work just as well. But I’m not against it. Like my husband and his Sunday School class, I have fond memories all the way through high school of teachers giving us candy.
A case against candy in the classroom
I wouldn’t recommend depending on candy as a singular motivation tool.
What if you get to a new school and discover there are policies against the treats? That’ll leave you scrambling for new ideas.
Plus, there is the danger of bringing in foods that stimulate allergies. (I wouldn’t even try to bring in treats containing nuts or peanut butter, for instance.)
Then there is the cost and time it takes to procure the sweets. Candy has a way of disappearing quickly, and the expense will start to pile up. Why take on such a cost as a substitute?
Also consider the aftermath of the candy dispersal. Between sugar highs or battles over certain colors and flavors, or the inevitable litter strewn around the room, the treats may prove more trouble than they’re worth.
Finally, candy doesn’t rank high on my list of rewards because there are so many other motivators that are free and effective. I’ve listed them with detailed examples in my free rewards ideas article.
The dos and don’ts of classroom candy
Do
If you choose to use candy as a motivator, the type of sweet is an important selection. It’s best to pick something that is age appropriate. I probably overthought my candy selection for the high schoolers, for instance. But I didn’t want to offer youthful lollipops to these almost-adults. Creme de menthe just seemed mature and sophisticated (or so I hoped.)
On the other end of the age spectrum, I wouldn’t offer hard cardies or choking hazards to little ones.
I’ll caution against chocolate, because it melts. Unless you’re vigilant about the placement of these confections, you could end up with a sticky mess of a waste of money.
And I’ve mentioned no nuts due to common allergies.
Candies I’ve used with success include:
Starburst, Smarties, gummies, regular M&M’s, Hershey’s Kisses and Andes mints. (Yes, the mints contained chocolate, so I was careful with these.) I especially like going for M&M’s or packages that contain a lot of candies for economic reasons. (You’d be suprised how far a single M&M can go in motivating elementary students!)
Don’t
Please don’t dig into teacher’s own stash in a fit of desperation. There are other ways to motivate the students. Even if the kids try to convince you that the candy is somehow their birthright, if it’s not noted in the lesson plan, I wouldn’t touch it.
This really happened when I was a teacher and had someone covering for me. Not great.
Also, if you’re going to bring candy, keep it fresh. No need to haul around a crusty bag of Halloween rejects from five years ago that no one will want to eat anyway.
Motivating students as a substitute teacher
There are many methods of motivation I would try before reaching for the sugar.
Sometimes with well-structured classes, I find being clear and courteous is all it takes. Or I simply continue to use the teacher’s token economy system. Other times, I have the class work toward earning a fun game or extra recess time. If individuals need a special boost, I dole out meaningful verbal praise or stickers or positive notes. I’ve even been known to puppeteer stuffed animals in exuberant and comical ways to garner some laughs and positive behavior from Kindergarteners.
Still, I’m not above using candy as an occasional behavior management tool. So I definitely won’t be raising any eye brows if I spy a fellow sub lugging around a bag of Twizzlers. In fact, I’ll probably try to befriend that person with The Goods.
Sub, teachers– what do you all think about using candy in the classroom? I’m curious to hear your thoughts below!
FYI: I found the Tootsie Roll company site to be very helpful! They feature several candies (like Andes mints), and each candy has its own write-up on the site where you can easily look up ingredient information.
