Questions, Questions: Part 3

Read Parts 1 and 2 Here!

The second part of this assignment that was important to me was to speak with students at the high school I am now observing at.  I asked them some of the same questions I did of my teacher regarding motivation.  I wanted to know what motivates them to do well in school, how teachers and classes contribute to this, and what they feel like the overall attitude towards school is in their community.

While speaking to the students they said that, interestingly enough, their friends were the main motivating factor in their lives.  They explained that if someone they know is taking a harder class or getting involved in an organization, they can be convinced to do so also.  They also said that they are very competitive with friends over grades, so it is important for them to not fall behind what other people are achieving.  I think it is important to point out here that the group of eight students I spoke to volunteered to help me out and were (by a quick and informal poll while we spoke) all members of varsity sports, NHS, or some type of extra-curricular organization.  I assume that the fact that these were academically high-achieving and involved students has an effect on their answers to my questions.               

Some of their advice to me as a new teacher was that lectures and discussions were the best format for Social Studies classes.  When I asked why, they told me that Social Studies is one of the only times during the day that they get to have much an opinion on subjects, and that they enjoy being able to do so.  They also said that the most frustrating things a teacher can do are to not know the information they are teaching, or to not return assignments or grades back to them in a reasonable amount of time. 

One of the things that I have working in my favor as a brand-new teacher is that I still completely understand what it is like to be a student.  I could relate to what these students had to say about their experiences much easier than I could to what my host teacher had to say.  Both had wonderful and insightful advice for me and I think keeping a balance between the teacher side of me and the student side of me will be key to my own success.