Let me begin by saying that I was having issues yesterday coming up with a Throwback and a trusted source served this one right up! If you do not know what book it was/is click here to learn more. According the Wikipedia:
Book It!
Pizza Hut has been a longtime sponsor of the "Book It!" program (started in 1984[24]), which encourages reading in American and Australian schools. Those who read books according to the goal set by the classroom teacher are rewarded with Pizza Hut coupons good for a free one-topping Personal Pan Pizza or discounted menu items. In the late 1980s, Pizza Hut threw free pizza parties for classes if all students met their reading goals. The program has been criticized by some psychologists on the grounds that it may lead to overjustification and reduce children's intrinsic interest in reading.[25] However, a study of the program found that participation in the program neither increased nor decreased reading motivation.[25] The program's 25th anniversary was in 2009.
I love the part of this that says that a study shows participation in the program neither increased or decreased motivation to read. You know why? All we cared about was getting our damn Personal Pan Pizza! I mean I was definitely one of the nerds who took pride on getting my star sticker on my pin, but I am sure there was Book It! fraud.
I'd also like to add an anecdote about a night we went to the Pizza Hut on Hamilton Blvd. with the family. My brother was just an infant and my parents had his infant carrier on the floor next to one of their chairs, I can't remember whose. What I do remember is the waiter, who was preparing either mine or my sister's pin, again I don't recall, dropped it on my brother's head. An open, sharp object falling on an infant with special needs. I thought my dad was going to blow through the roof. That poor guy, he is lucky he made it to the end of his shift. My brother was perfectly fine after the once over he was given for puncture wounds to his skull.
For me Book It! was a great motivational tool, even it used food as a reinforcer, um can you say No No?! Now, I don't have to read books to get my Personal Pan Pizza, I just head down to my local Target and order one up. But, I don't get a gold star on a sweet pin. I just get a stomachache and clogged arteries. TTFN!
Great post! I don't remember that story but it is hilarious. I didn't like readingthe books but I sure liked the personal pizzas.
ReplyDeleteI loved Book It! and I hated that my younger sister's class goal was the same as mine but we had a page number requirement on ours so she got the Book It! slip before I did every time... there's probably also the problem that I've NEVER been particularly good about filling out reading sheets/signing folders and she's great at it- that might have had something to do with her getting the slips faster
ReplyDeleteBook It!!! I filled one pin and was exhausted by all that reading. Looking back at this image of the pin, reminds me of the care Bears too (I guess it must be the rainbow)
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