what do high school teachers do to motivate thier students to learn??

Personally, I try to make things relevant. Students tend to block things out if they feel that they don’t apply to their lives. I tell stories that they can relate to, and I try to explain how they can use the lessons in their every day lives.

If you ask me, high school should be the most exciting and meaningful time of a teenager’s life. That’s why we have all those TV shows and movies that revolve around the high school age.

That being said, high school should focus on being fun, in an orderly manner. I don’t believe that children should fear their teachers, or should think that learning (or being in school in general) is a chore. I remember my high school life and how terrible it was, and I always think how much better I would’ve done in school if only I didn’t think it was so annoying.

I’ve experienced also that interesting teachers make the students do well in their subjects, even if the subject is hard or otherwise unappealing to the average student, such as math or history. A teacher that uses a lot of tools and techniques (such as dressing up as a historical figure or whoever your topic is, using puzzles and games and other things) will get students interested. Making the students participate a lot (especially those that tend to shy away from the crowd) makes them interested as well, rather than just constantly feeding them with information like reading from a book. Making them ask questions, or think for themselves, makes them feel like their presence in the class is actually important (which it is).

It’s alright for students to think you’re silly. Being a teacher isn’t about preserving self-image. Though you obviously need boundaries so you’re still dignified and the students don’t disrespect you. Setting those boundaries is up to the teacher, as it is case-to-case. If your students think you’re silly, but they all like you, and they all end up with good grades, then you’re doing your job.

Lastly, don’t give negative attention or penalize students that answer wrong. Don’t even make any comments that might humiliate them. The last thing you want is to make students think that they’re stupid just because they got one answer wrong, and thus end up never answering again, or even worse, make them feel inferior to the class (I got this sometimes when I was in high school). When they answer wrong, correct them constructively by supplying the right answer slowly in a way that makes them feel like they’re the ones that figured it out. They’ll remember the experience in a positive way and will end up remembering the information as well.