It is really good to look at motivation in this way. I appreciate the comments that have already been made in that light. I have seen a marked difference in the students that are in school for a reason (have goals, have parent support, etc) and are motivated through that and those students that are really not sure what the point is to any of this. Parental support and involvement makes such a critical difference, and yet in my location there is very VERY little to be had. My question then becomes, how can we help to motivate these students that have never been encouraged to succeed? How to we help instill that in them as teachers?
