I hope you having an incredible morning! Oh, I am just full of motivation this morning! =-D. Not really. I am actually using emotional dissemblance to portray what an excessively motivated person would sound like so early in the morning. I better get used to doing that. As a teacher, you've got to fake it some days. Today is the day that school starts back in session, so I was suddenly awoken at 5:30 am by the substitute office call system. I had just read an article yesterday about motivation, and it was very interesting, so I decided I would be motivated enough to leave my bed, come on here, and share with you before the thoughts left my head. By the way, the funky spelling of motivation in the title comes from an old cartoon favorite, Norbert from Angry Beavers. When ever he had a word that ended in -tion he would say it in a fancy cool way, because he was a cool cat.
So, to begin with, the article was an education article that they were passing out at a future teacher resource center on campus. I had some time between classes so I sat down to read it. There were two things that it said that where really profound truths, almost stinging, that need to be passed on in order to promote good teaching. 1) No matter what they believe, no teacher can truly provide motivation externally. Motivation has to come from within the student, and that student needs to decide for his or herself what will motivate them and under what circumstances. 2) Some teachers strive to improve 'motivation' in the classroom, when what they're really aiming for is COMPLIANCE. Wow!! Those are two traps that I never want to fall into. I have already experienced some students that are very hard to motivate, especially in the 5th and 6th grade levels. You can't get angry with them. You don't really want to leave them behind and not teach them anything, but what do you do if they are not willing to learn? Possibly this will be a two part blog. First let's start with what not to do.
I completely agree with the author with point number 1, on the fact that motivation has to be internal. It has to come from inside the student. You can wave the carrot all you want, we all have our indignant moments, where no matter what, no one can get us to budge out of our poor habits. For me, it's working out. I am the flabbiest, out of shape, unhealthy positive role model. If I could change one thing about myself, it would be that. I have no motivation what-so-ever to lose weight. Despite having the desire, finding the motivation is something completely separate. I've set personal goals. I've competed in challenges. I've given myself rewards for good behavior. I've used the accountability method. They're all good motivators for the moment, but the success is short lived and I inevitably return to my unhealthy habits.
My father on the other hand has Type 2 Diabetes, and after working himself fully into an unhealthy state and even then not having the self control to beat back Diabetes to the point where he's now on insulin, he has finally, within the last 3 years, found the motivation within himself to lose the weight. He's slimmed all over his body by walking ritualistically and has even lost stomach fat, which is so hard to lose. He's healthier than he's been in the last decade or so. Case in point being, although it's tough, sometimes you're wasting time and energy fretting over a child, in your classroom, or in your life, who has little to no motivation to learn. Sometimes it has to get to sink or swim in order to get them to find that blast of motivation. Let them decide when the timing is right. You can give them the tools, but they have to decide when to use them.
As for point number 2, motivation versus compliance, I have to agree, I have seen it in the classrooms and it is a very negative thing. Motivation does need encouragement, that is true. Two venues I see that are really good at true motivation are churches and pre-schools. Both places adopt the philosophy that when you enter the classroom, you genuinely want to learn, and what you learn will help you and make you better, stronger, and smarter. Both places rely heavily on modeling. There is always a caring and sympathetic leader who can say, I only expect your best, don't try to over-extend yourself or live up to a standard. Be who you are. Both places rely heavily on creating a welcoming atmosphere. The best churches and the best pre-schools go out of the way to welcome the student and make sure that the student is instantly initiated into the community. One final thing that I see is that both churches and pre-schools rely on task assignment. Those who have been with the program longer and feel that they have something to offer can be assigned a special role in which they can contribute back into the learning experience. That is true motivation.
Compliance, makes me cringe. Compliance has no place in the classroom. Compliance is that negative, overbearing force that we've probably all felt on the job somewhere. Compliance is a force that is over your control. It's like a magnetic pull that says YOU ARE POWERLESS TO RESIST. It's a power trip, basically. You are not giving the child a choice to participate. You will ultimately fail. No one likes that pressure. Not only that, but if you succeed in asserting your will over the student, what have you accomplished? You have taken away their will and their ambition. They didn't do it of their own accord, they did it because you made them. So think before you become a tyrant in the classroom. These are children not servants, and we are caregivers not overlords. Dial it down a notch. That's the difference between being authoritarian and authoritative.
I am definitely stopping here. Congrats if you made it this far. I am hoping someone out there can be a witness( as in you agree)!! I know I did some preaching just now, but honestly, these are some truths that need to be heard by a lot of American teachers. I hope these words do not fall on deaf ears. We should all try our hardest to be as engaging as possible with our students and know how to motivate them correctly. Since this is a two parter I will give the name of the article and how to get it with the next post. It's now time for me to get my own little one off to school. =-D
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