School Administrator's Clip File • November 11, 2020
Encourage students to 'hang in there'
Learning has been challenging for most students due to the pandemic. And students who fail often want to give up and drop out of school. Inspire students and families by sharing the success stories of others who have failed but ended up succeeding:
- Thomas Edison was thrown out of school because he couldn’t read and do the work.
- Actors Susan Hampshire and Tom Cruise couldn’t read because of their dyslexia.
- When Bob Dylan performed for his classmates at a high school talent show, they booed him off the stage.
- George Washington was unable to spell throughout his life, and his grammar was very poor, too.
- Albert Einstein was thought to have been simple minded. He found schoolwork—especially math—difficult.
Stick with basics for motivation
The key to student motivation can be found in the effective use of some basic tried-and-true theories. Share these tips with teachers and families:
- Enthusiasm. Students are more likely to be engaged and motivated to learn if you show them that you are excited about the material, too.
- Choice. Allow students the freedom to make appropriate, reasonable choices—about how they will complete assignments and chores, for example.
- Responsibility. Make sure students understand that along with freedom to make choices comes a responsibility to do their best.
- Perspective. Communicate a positive message. Tell students what they did right as well as what fell short of the mark.
- Encouragement. Sometimes a simple “good job” will go a long way with a student who is struggling.
Did you know?
According to EdWeek Research Center’s latest monthly survey about the impact of the coronavirus on schools, 84 percent of teachers and administrators say teacher morale is lower now than it was prior to the pandemic.
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