I can’t help it. I’ve been skeptical ever since I heard Alfie Kohn, author of Punished by Rewards, say that the main result of Pizza Hut’s Book It program is a bunch of fat kids who don’t like to read.

Intrinsic or extrinsic motivation? It’s true that reading more builds reading skills and stamina, which in turn improves reading ability. But does the pizza reward for reading really encourage reading for its own sake? I doubt it. I sincerely doubt it.

But today I investigated their expanded website to see what I can offer my students’ parents (a.k.a. learning coaches). There is a lot of wisdom, and a lot of it is in vocabulary many parents can understand.

So… how do I share this with “my” families? That is, how do I share this resource with those parents with whom I teach?  If I’m honest with myself (which isn’t always the best policy, really), I’m actually asking this: How do I share this resource with families without giving in to marketing and handing out little pizza certificates? 

Sigh. It’s such a complicated world.