Motivation
So all the literature talks about how we motivate students by giving them choice and from this derives a sense of ownership for the students. And by doing this we foster a level and quality of motivation that is intrinsic and authentic. And I agree with this...however, I also believe that we have to factor in reality, something I have been faced with the last few weeks before we went on Winter Break.
My students were (as mentioned in the "Temperature Check" entry) just really burnt out- having a large amount of workload placed into their laps, remembering their loved ones who were taken from them unexpectedly during the holidays, wishing for things to be different in their lives as we look to changes for the new year, ...
One day during advisory we were making cards to give to someone special in their lives. This time turned into me having to have 3 one on one sessions as girls broke down, thinking about their father struggling with drugs, their brother who was shot and killed a year ago, and their father killed in a fight a few years back.
As educators we talk about establishing classroom routines and implementing strategies to ensure that our students excel in their learning. But I continue to grapple with the realities of what it means to teach, support, and love my students- to know who they are and to never count that out of the scheme of learning.
But I am at a place where I am stumped about how I motivate my students, knowing who they are and their personal circumstances. How do I support them on an instructional and classroom level (aside from incorporating their experiences into their learning)? Especially in an environment where it is believed that if we factor in our students' personal situations we are lowering expectations. How do we toe that line of maintaining high expectations of our students without disregarding and discounting who they are, the things they experience, see, feel...
Sigh.
My students were (as mentioned in the "Temperature Check" entry) just really burnt out- having a large amount of workload placed into their laps, remembering their loved ones who were taken from them unexpectedly during the holidays, wishing for things to be different in their lives as we look to changes for the new year, ...
One day during advisory we were making cards to give to someone special in their lives. This time turned into me having to have 3 one on one sessions as girls broke down, thinking about their father struggling with drugs, their brother who was shot and killed a year ago, and their father killed in a fight a few years back.
As educators we talk about establishing classroom routines and implementing strategies to ensure that our students excel in their learning. But I continue to grapple with the realities of what it means to teach, support, and love my students- to know who they are and to never count that out of the scheme of learning.
But I am at a place where I am stumped about how I motivate my students, knowing who they are and their personal circumstances. How do I support them on an instructional and classroom level (aside from incorporating their experiences into their learning)? Especially in an environment where it is believed that if we factor in our students' personal situations we are lowering expectations. How do we toe that line of maintaining high expectations of our students without disregarding and discounting who they are, the things they experience, see, feel...
Sigh.
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