Education shapes the lives of young people. When the educational journey becomes a series of roadblocks, wrong ways, and dead ends, young people become discouraged. Lacking the tools, resources, and experiences to overcome these challenges, young people may naturally adopt negative attitudes and destructive behavior patterns, which can sabotage school success. Therefore, it is critical that parents and teachers identify children who are at risk and enact effective interventions.
About This Book The purpose of this book is to offer concrete strategies for dealing with students who lack motivation and to help readers develop the promise and resilience in young people through a better understanding of asset building and the internal and external factors associated with motivating adolescents. The content of this book is based both on research and years of extensive work with thousands of students and families. It is designed to provide current motivational research and information, activities, interventions, handouts, and best-practice tips related to the challenges of motivating underachieving students. Chapter 1 discusses factors and circumstances that can contribute to a lack of student motivation and provides helpful suggestions and tips for working with students facing specific problems. Chapter 2 looks at various learning styles and offers personal inventories and checklists to help students identify their unique talents and best learning tools. Chapter 3 offers tips, handouts, and suggestions for those times when behavioral intervention is necessary. Chapter 4 focuses on building a student’s internal motivation through confidence and self-esteem exercises. Chapter 5 focuses on strengthening the relationships among students and peers to facilitate a better focus on school, while Chapter 6 discusses how stronger relationships between students and parents can improve motivation, and how the role of the student in the larger community can provide a sense of confidence and empowerment. This book is intended to help parents and educators discover ways to motivate and support even the most challenging young people and increase the capacity for all adolescents to reach their fullest potential. After all, the most difficult students provide the greatest opportunity to teach—and ultimately to change the world, one young person at a time.
Notes 1. Education Week. June 5, 2008. Diplomas count 2008: School to college. Retrieved July 1, 2008, from www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/06/05/40execsum.h27.html. 2. Gonzales, R., K. Richards, and K. Seeley. 2002. Youth out of school: Linking absence to delinquency. Colorado Foundation for Families and Children. Retrieved July 10, 2008, from www.schoolengagement .org/TruancypreventionRegistry/Admin/Resources/26.pdf. 3. Office of the Vice President for Research, University of Minnesota. 2006. From the inside: Kathy Marshall helps communities find peace by fostering resilience. Retrieved July 10, 2008, from www.research.umn.edu/spotlight/marshall.html. 4. Corbin, B. 2008. Unleashing the potential of the teenage brain: 10 powerful ideas. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. P. 75.
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