When I was in high school I attended an all-girls, Catholic high school where the tuition was about $8,000 per year. Needless to say, most, if not all, of the 200 girls in the school were sufficiently motivated and knew they had to do well in order to stay at Immaculate Conception High School. Furthermore, the teachers and the administration set high standards for all of the students and the girls knew they had to meet those standards. The graduation rate at my high school was close to 100% and maybe one student in each graduating class did not attend college the year after graduation. It was just a “given” that everyone applied to colleges and, by the spring had enrolled in one of those college for fall attendance.
When I got my student teaching assignment at my high school I knew it would be a different experience than what I had had in high school but I had no idea it would be this different! The most striking difference for me is the lack of motivation on the students' part as well as on the teachers' part. I have so many students who couldn't care less about their grades and performance in the classroom. They refuse to do homework, refuse to take notes, and never participate in class, even when I randomly call on them. Then, when they fail chapter tests, they have no reaction and if I ask them what happened they matter-of-factly say that they did not study and they do not mind that they failed. I have also had, on multiple occasions, some of my older students, when asked about their future or their performance in class, they have replied with something like, "I'm just waiting until I turn 18 so that I can drop out of this place." or "I don't care about this stuff. I'm never going to college and I'm never gonna use this stuff. I don't need this stuff on the streets." First, it breaks my heart to hear a child have such miniscule motivation in life and have such low standards for himself. Second, and maybe even worse, I have no idea how to respond to comments like that. How do I get students with no goals and no desire to have a successful future motivated in my U.S. history class?
I decided to pick the brains of the other teachers and see how they motivate their students and how they respond to comments like these. To my surprise, the teachers' motivation for their students was just as bad as the students' motivations for themselves. The teachers do not expect the students to do well while they do expect them to end up on the streets or worse. I actually had a teacher tell me, "Don't waste your time trying to motivate a kid like that. He's just going to end up in jail. Just forget that he is in the classroom and give him a D so that he passes and can get out of here." I almost cried when I was told this. No wonder the kids have such low motivation and self-pride. The teachers and their low standards are a big part of the problem!
I bring this topic up because I am extremely bothered by this whole situation and it is something I have never experienced nor ever had to deal with. I know that I cannot save the world and I know that I will not keep everyone of my students off of the streets. But I feel as though I have to do something to try and make these kids think more positively about themselves and their futures. I refuse to give up on my students. But my question is, how do I motivate these kids who have no desire nor drive to be in school, never mind pass and succeed in their classes? How do I deal with students who are just waiting to drop out of school?
This is a very tough situation because you cannot compromise the education of the rest of your students for the few that do not care. As educators we want to be able to affect everyone in positive way, and we obviously want all of our students to succeed in the classroom and outside of the classroom. There also have to be outside factors to help motivate the student, such as the family, they have to motivate the students to learn as much, if not more, than we do. In most cases with students like this, there is no family support or motivation. I think in certain cases when teaching lessons try to relate certain things to something they are interested in, and it may stick with them. I also believe that we cannot allow kids like that to become a disciplinary problem and a distraction, because we have to educate everyone and cannot allow those kids to hinder the educational experience of the other students.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it would make any difference if you spoke to an unmotivated student privately and told him/her that you really see potential in him/her and feel they need to give themselves a chance to succeed, which would include doing the work for your class as a kind of experiment. Be persuasive. :) Tell them that you can see how bright they are and that you are really curious about how well they could do in your class if they put in just a little bit of effort.
ReplyDeleteI think we all want to know that a person in authority over us cares about us, likes us, and has our best interests in mind. Let them know that you are that person. It may not make any difference, but at least you will know you tried and if they hear the same thing from someone else, maybe later in life, they will remember that Ms. M saw something in them, too, and maybe they should start to believe it and act like they are worth something.
I would also look for a teacher in your school that the students like/respect and ask him/her why the students feel this way. What is different about that person or that class that makes the students care about it - even if it's only a little? That may give you some insight into what motivates these kids.
I think it takes time to build respect and connection with the students. However, in case like this I would think giving them life lessons would make them more interested to come to your class. Explain to them that not all of us are meant to go to college, but there is always trade schools, technical school, ect. where they can use their talent and knowledge without going to college. But before they get to there they need to try their best to finish high school and to challenge themselves little more.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Marina that it does take time to build respect and connections with students. I also think this is something that you cannot expect, but it has to be earned. I have something sort of similar to this situation in my one class period. I have a student who not so much doesn't care about the subject matter but is intentionally trying to get held back so that he can be in the same grade as his best friend. It is extremely difficult to get him to do anything. I think in this case, making the activities interesting and a lot of hands on activities in class have helped him want to participate whether he realizes it or not. He still doesn’t hand in all his work, but he is participating in class and labs which were something he didn't want to have anything to do with before. I think picking at other teachers brains for ideas is a great idea to try and come up with some ways to try and get the student involved.
ReplyDeleteThis is undoubtably the most difficult moment for any teacher to face head on and I'm sorry you have to endure this during your student teaching. I have a similar issue with students in my Period 6 class who are not motivated in the least. Some tactics that I used were making the class more hands on and modifying their work load so that they can learn the same material but at a simpler level in order to engage them more. I also spoke to a couple students and told them how they are seen as leaders in the classroom by their peers and that I believe the class could benefit from their participation. This actually worked and got students motivated to read aloud in class. Another tactic is working one-on-one with an unmotivated student while the class works independently. This way you can assure that the student is completing the task at hand and giving them the attention they crave which will help you build a rapport with that student. Finally, I believe building a rapport with your students is important for motivation. I have a senior boy who isn't motivated to attend college but knows that he wants to own a small chain of bars because he likes socializing with others. I told him to go to CCM and take classes in business in order to prep for a career like that. I swear I saw the lightbulb go on in his head because he didn't think about business courses and that motivated him to apply to CCM. All in all, motivating your students is possible and difficult. Some students will stick to their guns and drop out when they're 18 and you cannot blame yourself for that if you know deep down you tried your best to make them excel. Have faith, buddy!
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