Bring Back Student Motivation
By Thomas Honsa Student motivation has taken a dive. What happened? Anyone who’s passed a required professional certification or licensing exam, or whose dreams depended on an SAT or GRE score knows that motivation is a great teacher. The rewards are tangible, realistic and often measurable. They are, unfortunately, too often absent in our public schools.
Too many students have no idea why they are in school. They are aware that school is supposed to prepare them for the real world, but a survey conducted from 2010 to 2015 indicates that fewer than half believe their classroom experience will help them succeed. Most report feelings of boredom and lack of motivation.
This is not just a stereotypical rant from adolescents who glance up from their phones long enough to complain that “school sucks.” Even successful, college-bound students lack concrete goals. According to NBC News, 80 percent of college freshmen have yet to decide a major, and half of those who have decided will eventually change their minds.
What’s The Motivation For Students
A few years ago I heard two local high school history students engaged in an informal debate over the popularity of fast food. Ben, an honor student from a stable family, argued people’s devotion to drive-thru burgers and fries was a result of the laziness and lethargy of modern times. The Ethan, from a struggling working-class family, contended it was because people were simply too busy to cook because they spend their time making a living.
These two intelligent adolescents were engaged in a mature conversation on a topic of public importance, but the outcome of their debate is unimportant. What matters is how these two students ended their high school years. One graduated…the other dropped out. Ethan didn’t quit school because he was unintelligent (obviously). He ultimately quit school because he saw absolutely no reason to be there.
The Basic Problem In American Education
A 2015 article in Edsource reported, “fewer than half of high school students across the country feel they’re ready for college and careers, even though these remain top goals for students.” Some may blame students for this, saying they’ve failed to take advantage of the resources schools offer. That may be true if this were an issue affecting a handful of unmotivated students. But the issue is widespread across the nation.
A 2016 report from the Educational Trust shows that “fewer than 1 in 10 (students) have taken a foundational set of courses they’d need to be both college- and career ready. And almost half completed neither a college-prep nor a career prep course sequence.”
Obviously, we adults in the educational community aren’t doing a very good job directing young people in developing realistic plans for their futures. And the problem reverberates well beyond the school campus.
According to a Tuft’s University study, nearly half of all students who drop out report they did so because they were bored or because school lacked relevance in their lives. These are young people whose negative classroom experiences drove them to step off the educational pathway to success. Taxpayers will assume responsibility for many of these young people as they enter the corrections or public assistance programs.
A 2017 PDK poll found that the vast majority of parents surveyed felt schools should put more emphasis on career exploration and education.
Motivation Resources Do Exist
It isn’t as though resources don’t exist to boost student motivation. The Florida Department of Education offer a free Florida Shines career-education program. The employment site Monster.com links to numerous, nationally-recognized career assessment tools.
Political and educational leaders have spent most of the last 35 years fretting over how to “fix” the country’s schools. Officials have devoted thousands of hours and billions of dollars to reforming a situation that many Americans agree needs addressing. Proposed reforms have included standardized tests, innovative scheduling, intervention programs and personalized tutoring. Some of these efforts have promising successful results, but many reform advocates, such as Bill Gates, have expressed doubt over the overall value of the efforts.
Help For American’s Youth
Maybe it’s time we turned away from reform “experts” to really help America’s youth. Teachers, parents, caregivers and all concerned adults all need to take responsibility to put our kids on the path to success by helping them answer a question that probably every teacher since Socrates has heard it expressed in class…”Why do we have to learn this stuff?”
Tom Honsa was a broadcast journalist for eight years before becoming an educator. He teaches history and journalism. A 27-year classroom veteran and long-time resident of Florida’s Suncoast, he is married and has one son.
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