Motivation

     Motivation for everyone is different especially depending on what the class, task or item is. Motivation for me comes in many different forms depending on what I am doing. For instance, in college and with classes and school, my main motivation comes from my own personal want to learn. I believe that knowledge is one of the most important things we can acquire and if I had all the time and money in the world I would take countless classes. Wanting to learn and know more about various subjects is definitely a huge motivator. Another large part of my motivation comes from wanting to be a good teacher and help others in the world. The reason I am becoming a teacher is because I want to teach children. I think too often children are not given the attention and respect they deserve and I am so motivated by my want to teach them and give them what they deserve. Wanting my parents, family and friends to be proud of me is another thing that motivates me as a learner, which is what motivates many learners. When times get tough whether it's having trouble with a concept or simply being tired of school, what keeps me going is knowing that I want to make my parents proud. I want to graduate and be able to have them be proud of their daughter who graduated college. There are often other reasons I stay motivated as a learner but these are surely the top reasons which I am sure are the same for many.

    As for my future students, I am certain they will be motivated by similar reasons, however at the Elementary age level the reasons can often be different. For instance, many students in elementary grades are motivated by their need for approval and to be praised. Any child in school will automatically get a pleased look on their face when a teacher or parent says they have done a good job or they are proud of them. There again, no matter how young the child, they want their parents to be happy and proud of them. Sometimes another aspect that can motivate learners at those ages is wanting to keep up and be accepted by their classmates. Students, especially in today's society, want more than anything to fit in and be accepted. If s an instructor it will be my job to make sure that students stay motivated but try to gear them in the right direction for being motivated. An example of this being that I want my students to be motivated to learn because they love learning. If students start to enjoy learning at a young age they will be more likely to carry that on throughout their life.