By “Token Economy”, I am talking about small-scale programs used in schools, mental health centers, prisons, etc. where an “economy” is created with tokens, either physical tokens that may be held or virtual tokens that are tracked at a centralized location, and used for pedagogical, therapeutic, or penological purposes (e.g. behavior management). Points could be used to “buy” trinkets or extra privileges. I’m not referring to fiat money in general.
Anyone have any interesting stories about participating in, running, or witnessing any of these programs?
I remember one time in school we had a token economy of good behavior points that you would earn for being attentive, completing assignments, etc, and where the teacher would “fine” you points for minor disciplinary infractions in lieu of any other punishment. For grievous offenses (such as bringing a gun), I suppose that no amount of good behavior points would suffice and you would go straight into the formal referral process. I once inquired into the possibility of keeping all my points and just going through the traditional disciplinary process (e.g. being “written up”, etc.), in essence buying points through subjecting myself to disciplinary measures. I was told that I did not have a choice and that the punishment was a point fine, and if I didn’t have enough points, then the standard/traditional disciplinary processes would come into play. I also inquired to a teacher about transferring points to another child (i.e. like as is done in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer) in a business transaction, and the answer was that that was not allowed (and wouldn’t have been easy since the points were not represented by physical tokens but existed on paper). I wasn’t bold enough to consciously plot misbehavior as a protest, knowing that I had enough points to do so, e.g.:
Teacher : “return to your desk, class has begun”
Me : “no, I’d rather not. Go ahead and take the points, I have enough “stars” to last until lunchtime”
When I was in pre-k they had a system where you were given faces for naps. If you took a nap you got a smiley face and if you laid awake during nap time you got a frowny face on a yellow circle about the size of a 50 cent piece. They taped them all up on the back wall of your cubby space and if you got so many smiley faces you could trade them for things. I don’t remember what those things were though because I had a whole cubby of frowns. I have never been able to fall asleep quickly. When I lay down to go to bed at 10:30 I know that means I will probably be asleep around 11:30 or 12:00 and that is just how my system is set up. I was the same way as a child so when they put you down for a 20 minute nap I wasn’t anywhere near ready to go to sleep yet by the time the lights came back on which meant I never got any happy faces.
The school where my stepdaughter goes, and where I sit on a decision-making council, has shiny plastic coins which are supposed to represent “good citizenship” values and reward helping out, going above and beyond the call of duty or whatnot, and whatever. My stepdaughter has about ten of them.
Only problem is that nobody can decide what the coins will buy or even if they’re worth anything. Even the principal was evasive when I asked her about it in a meeting, but she did indicate that “having them was their own reward.” Um, OK then.
I’m involved with a kindergarten class that uses them, and one year my daughter at school had a teacher that used them. They get slips of paper with coins printed on them, and each child has their own little bag to put them in. When the teacher gives them out she writes the kid’s name on the back, so they can’t swap or steal other people’s. Wednesday afternoon is prize shopping, and there are a variety of activities they can swap their coins for, like playing on a scooter, playing with shaving cream, or having a special story. Different prizes cost different amounts of money. They all want to save up to use the scooter, which is the most expensive, and it is funny to watch them considering whether to blow their savings on an inferior (but still good) prize, or wait a whole 'nother week for the chance to scooter. If one of them doesn’t want to wait, they’ll try to convince their friends to join them playing with shaving cream, or whatever. Then there will be a big negotiation.
We can take money off them if they are naughty, and it’s really effective as a threat if they are acting up.
Well, I’m not the OP, but I’ll jump in, because I immediately perked up on seeing the thread. Token economies and their uses have become a fascination of mine, because I am writing a story in a world that uses a token economy that is intimately intertwined with a fiat economy - the two are used in tandem, and the token economy is in use by a subculture, where the power structure in the subculture uses the token economy as both a primary and secondary reinforcer. (That is, it both directly fulfills a survival need, and also functions as a type of currency to fulfill other, less urgent, needs.)
So any stories or examples you guys have to share are definitely appreciated, and thanks to all those who have already given examples or stories!
My brother was involved in a token economy while in sixth grade. The highlight of the exercise was when a couple of the class’s “usual suspects” broke into the teacher’s desk and stole all the “Micro Money” that hadn’t yet been earned by the better-behaved students. A little bit of realism in the purported capitalist Utopia…
It only now comes back to me, but my first primary school (elementary school for the you North Americans), back in the mid-90s, had at least a year where there was a school-wide market economy in force. I remember spending a lot of time at school, working in a group to start a corporation of sorts that would sell a product at the “market day” in exchange for all the kids issued currency (200 Fake Dollars or whatever). It was actually a really neat experience.
On further reflection a similar thing happened at my second primary school, as well. Must have been a fashionable part of the NZ curriculum at the time.
It was quite a good lesson about the free market as well: children of the rich were better able to leverage family resources to take over the market, and selling candy to kids is always a safe bet.
