The job of the teacher is to teach the students. If the students are not doing very well in class which is evident in their performance, something is definitely wrong which is why motivation is also important if you want the best to come out of the student.
If the students are not motivated, it is only right that you find out what they are not motivated. If the problem is only with one or two kids in school, perhaps there is a problem at home but if this affects the entire class, then you know that the problem is much bigger.
The problem could be your teaching strategy and this means you have to make the adjustment not them.
To do that, review what you have done in the past and see how it can be improved on. Naturally you can’t teach the same subject matter on and you have to move on so try to make the adjustments in the future lessons.
Instead of doing all the talking, why don’t you let the students do some research and let them come up to the front of the class and deliver what they know. You can also assign students to do group work or come up with other schemes, which makes learning fun and not boring.
When you are the one making the lecture, make it fun and exciting. There are different ways for students to learn and it does not always come from books. You may let the class see a movie or schedule a field trip to the museum or to some other famous landmark.
Naturally, it is time to grade them so give each student some time to speak in front of the class. This may prove to be a bit difficult knowing that some students don’t want to answer when called so find some other ways to get to them to participate.
Give them assignments that will allow them to think out of the box. Since exams will always follow, make sure they understand what the lesson for the entire semester is about so they will be able to do well in the exam.
Aside from doing your share and they also doing theirs, don’t forget to reward them for doing well in class. You can do so by writing a positive comment on their work, saying a good praise with other people in the class present, handing out a few prizes or giving certain exemptions to deserving students.
Motivation is key in school because as a teacher, you are the one thing that shapes them to become whoever they want to be once they graduate. Will they do well once they leave these halls? Maybe and you won’t know that next week or the year after and only a few years later.
If a certain student did well, they may visit you one day to see how you are doing and thank you personally for what you have done for them. So teachers, take your job seriously because taking this position is not just so you can earn money and earn a decent living.
It is a responsibility that must be handled with care because their future is in your hands and this begins with a little motivation coming from you.