Reply3

Student 3

Motivation

"Motivation is the process of instigating and sustaining goal-directed behavior, according to (Schunk, Meece, & Pintrich, 2014). As a school counselor I spend an inordinate amount of time teaching my students about acquiring and sustaining the motivation to achieve necessary to be successful in school. We work on this topic in large groups, small groups, and on an individual basis with students that find motivation particularly elusive. The large group lessons on motivation are taught as a part of my weekly guidance lessons that enable the students to think about what motivates them the most so that they are able to reach their full academic, social, and emotional potential. Motivation can be utilized to improve behavior, strengthen academics, sports, extracurricular, or social settings. I greatly enjoy teaching my students about motivation and assisting them with finding the thing, or things that motivate them individually. At the beginning of every school year I teach goal setting in depth related to what they would like to achieve throughout the course of the year. I teach them how to set short term and long-term goals and discuss the things that motivate them to reach those goals. I feel that goal setting is an essential skill that these children will be able to utilize for the rest of their lives in setting and attaining success. The more we practice this skill, the better they become at visualizing what they want, and what they are willing to do in order to get there.

I also strongly feel that the therapeutic relationships that I build with my students enables me to better understand and differentiate the needs of every student. This can be a bit like solving a puzzle one piece at a time, as we determine how and what best motivates each child. I am often given the task of working with the students that are the most disruptive in the classroom and finding out what could motivate them to do what is expected of them. Some students are motivated by external rewards and stickers, while others are motivated by free time or a preferred activity that is earned. I encourage my students to share when they reach their short-term goals and keep setting more as their current goals are met. Motivation is the key to academic success or attaining any new skill that takes time and effort to learn. Several of my "frequent flyers" come by every morning for a motivational pep talk to help them get through their day and keep them on track behaviorally or academically. Motivating the students in my school to achieve and reach their full potential is extremely rewarding.