If you care to explain yourself a bit more, I might be able to see your point. I’d like to hear your ideas on how to increase intrinsic motivation about reading and writing without any kind of extrinsic element. It’s a hard sell to convince kids to write and read more because it’ll make them feel better inside. That said, what would you have done in my situation?

Students started to perform better on the writing assessment once they saw that they couldn’t put something coherent together in the span of 20 minutes. Many students genuinely cared that they couldn’t write when asked. They felt bad that they were among the ones still left writing, more due to their own recognition of a lack of skill than embarrassment.

Where’s the proof you mention in forgetting things due to the removal of extrinsic motivators? Further, where’s your proof that this will be a detriment to their academic future? After being told for so many years, “No dessert if you don’t eat your vegetables,” didn’t you finally realize that vegetables are good and good for you? Sometimes it takes extrinsic motivators to force action that you’ll later recognize as worth your while.

Intrinsic is obviously the goal. But we’re often faced with classrooms full of reluctant writers and proud non-readers. Failing the inner motivation, I’m not ashamed to manipulate extrinsic factors in order to see the level of work I want/need. I’m sorry you see my methods as so harsh and malevolent.