I saw your Tweet. What does COMPUTER EXPLORERS think about paying kids to do better on tests?

Anne Kleinsasser, my high school English Literature teacher, bellowed Hrothgar and Hrunting in a voice that convinced us she was a direct descendent of Grendel!  The walls literally vibrated as she read the battle scenes aloud!  Her passion for literature motivated me to want to become an English teacher too.

Those of us who are leading the learning need to be passionate about our subjects! 

According to the article from Education Week that sparked your question, we need to consider what motivates students and, more importantly, what motivates them at different ages.  Little ones may be motivated by a sticker on a chart tracking the number of books read.  Middle school students are motivated by the latest tech in their hands or shoes on their feet. High school students apparently are motivated by money (probably to buy new tech for their hands or shoes for their feet). I am motivated by a love of learning; my brain overflows with trivia.

How do we get from stickers on a chart to love of learning  … which will translate into better test performance?  Not with money for test-takers. Not with bored and weary teachers, but by igniting the passion that will inspire the students to learn!

I think my husband (who is a businessman) would be a great physics teacher … because he loves space and math and the mystery of the Theory of Everything.  He goes to NASA at least every six weeks to see what’s new in the exhibits.  If he were in the classroom, he would inspire students to become engineers and scientists and lead the STEM initiatives.

My friend Beverly, an events planner, could be an amazing botany teacher because plants are her passion; she loves nurturing them and takes personal pleasure when they flourish. Her excitement is contagious - to the point that I bought three plumeria even though I have a notoriously black thumb!  (They are growing, but not blossoming, which is actually progress for me!)  Lorri is an operations manager with a quirky sense of humor and great stream of consciousness writing; if she were teaching creative writing, a whole new genre would be invented by her students!

Perhaps we should think not so much about what motivates students, but rather what motivates passion in educators!  Like Stella, maybe we need to get our groove back so that students don’t have to be paid to perform!

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Program Development