#TeacherProblems We're All in this Together!

Recently, I had conversations with two other teachers about kids who were unmotivated to work.  I vented over several of my 8th grade students who had energy and ambition to socialize and play on electronic devices, but could not take the time and effort to complete a photosynthesis foldable after three days of in-class work.  My friend Cindy lamented that one of her math students flat-out refused to do any math during class time.  He would lay on the floor, flip through comic books, moan and groan, and just not work.  My mother talked about her students pretending to work all hour, but having nothing to show for it at the end of class.

The foldable that took 3 days...

Some of us might feel like this problem presents itself frequently in public schools, and it does.  I have taught in the same public middle school for 20 years, and every year have students who struggle to want to do work.  But my friend Cindy- she homeschools her four kids and is well-known around our community for helping other homeschooling moms.  My mother- she teaches in a Catholic K - 8 school and leads classes on discipline. 

I'm not going to delve into the merits and drawbacks of different learning settings; that's not my point.  The point of this blogpost is that teaching is a tough endeavor.  No matter where or who you teach, sometimes our students don't want to buy what we are selling. Tweens of all backgrounds want to push boundaries, challenge authority, and  take the easy road.  (That's not always a bad thing- sometimes I want to do that too!)  Motivating students to want to work might be the biggest challenge we face some days.

So how can we motivate our students?
1.  Set a timer.  Seeing a countdown gives a sense of urgency and is hard to argue with.  When you tell a parent that after 30 minutes of work time, nothing was accomplished, a student can't argue with the 30 minutes.

2.  Reward by bragging.  Heap praise and attention on those who are getting work done.  If 100% of your class finishes a project, tweet a picture touting their greatness.  (It works as well for a class of 1 as well as 25! Who doesn't like fame?!)

3.  Have something fun for when students finish.  This one is pretty tricky, because not all kids enjoy the same things.  I think logic puzzles are fun, but students who struggle in school do not.  I hesitate to let students play games, because it's hard to get them to stop.  Content coloring pages can be useful for some kids.  Legos or STEM toys work well in a science classroom.  One teacher I know has playdough, stencils, and stamps that her middle school kids enjoy.  Allowing kids to read or sit in a beanbag chair when they finish work is another idea.

A STEM toy called Zoob Builderz

Of course, we all wish that students were intrinsically motivated to learn and do work.  The reality is that we teach humans, and we all go through stages where we don't want to work.  If you have any ideas of things you have tried  to motivate your students, please leave me a comment!

Shameless plug for the photosynthesis foldable that does not in fact take 3 days