Motivating Students!

     As a student there are times when you feel connected to an opportunity and are completed motivated and inspired to perform. There are other times as a student that you feel deflated and totally unmotivated. I remember a time when I felt inspired to perform. I was in the 7th grade and for our last period class we got to choose an extracurricular class in which to participate. I chose to participate in a writing class where we would write our own novels. I love writing, and this class caused my passion to come alive. The teacher who taught this class was also passionate about writing. I remember we were put into groups and would collaborate with other students, which made this class fun and interactive. We would work on writing our novels, and then we would get in our small groups and would take turns reading to each other what we had written so far. We would give each other feedback and helped to edit each others' writings. We would meet one on one with our teacher who was always uplifting and gave us insightful and positive feedback. I remember I was so inspired I would work on my novel outside of class time. After our novels were completed our teacher put them in the school library so that the whole school body could read and enjoy them. It also allowed us to feel what it might be like to have something published that we had written. This class stirred up my love for writing and was an amazing learning opportunity that inspired and motivated me.
      On another note I remember a time when I felt deflated and totally unmotivated. When I was in the second grade my teacher hardly ever gave me any praise, but would only point out what I was doing wrong. I was in the lowest reading group, and I remember that the books for the higher reading groups looked so much more interesting, and I longed to read those books rather than the babyish books we read in our group. I remember the teacher saying I would probably never leave the lower group. He seemed frustrated when I did not understand something, or if I did not give the correct answer. I was completely unmotivated because I felt like I could not do anything right.
     As I got older, reading and writing were two of the areas in which I was strong, and in which I excelled. Thinking about these two experiences made me realize how much a teacher can affect students. As a teacher I always want to encourage and motivate my students. All students have  strengths and weakness as well as all students have a special gift to offer the world. I want my students to all feel heard and seen by me, as well as I want to be a teacher who stirs up their passions. I want my classroom to be a safe place for them to learn and grow and reach their fullest potential.