Student Motivation

I have a tough love approach in my classroom. I am very motivating and helpful, but will also not put up with misbehavior and disrespect. I am there to motivate and teach, but not pull my students' weight for them. I believe motivation is crucial to a successful classroom environment as long as it's partnered with feedback. To elaborate further, I motivate my students by first mentioning a positive thing about their answer. I then follow up with a suggestion or advice to enhance their answer. Even better, I hope to motivate a deeper thinking by having them ask more questions and fix their own answer. This is one way I motivate my students...find the positive, suggest different ideas, and give advice on what will work best. I also motivate by giving them one-on-one time. It's hard to give one child in a class of 25 students ample one-on-one time but even two minutes of direct eye contact and asking about their weekend goes a long way. Every morning, I acknowledge every student that walks in my door, I have them check in, and I strike up a mini-conversation. These few minutes are precious to both of us and builds a positive relationship. This is where true motivation lies...in healthy, positive relationships.