2012 conventions 2012 election 2013 session arts arts and culture author ballot measures basketball bomb books boy scouts budget bullying business charlie hales children clackamas climate change coal college courts crime culture culture club democrats drugs economy education environment family film fluoride food gay rights guns handguns health health care health insurance high school history housing immigration internet kitzhaber law legislature lgbt literary arts living marijuana marriage media medicine mental health military minor parties mohamed mohamud movies music native americans news newspaper obama olympics oregon our town parenting pers photography police politcs politics port portland portland business journal president prevention public safety religion republicans rnc romney rural salem sam adams sandy hook schools science shooting sports suicide supreme court taxes technology terrorism theater third parties transportation union university of oregon washington wildfire women

I am one week away from beginning my 25th year teaching middle school.  I was an intrinsically motivated student who loved learning.  My own kids, 13 & 16, are different.  The 16 year old is just beginning to see beyond today when he undertakes something.  Thus far, he has been motivated extrinsically, and rewards of money and privileges have helped get him through school.  He's beginning to think about the future, and we'll see this year if he can look beyond the present moment when he's doing schoolwork.  At my school, a Title I school, we reward effort by basing our honor roll on effort, rather than achievement.  It makes a tremendous difference for the lower achieving kids, including many of the special education and ESL kids. School is such hard work for them in the first place, that being acknowledged for their hard work at a school-wide assembly goes a long way toward building ongoing improvement in school. Begin with extrinsic rewards and mentoring relationships and, over time, the intrinsic motivation will come.

posted 3 years, 9 months ago
view in context