Fires: Chapter 6 - Motivation and Boredom

This chapter was all about ways a teacher can avoid their student getting bored with the subject area and how to motivate them. At first it explains how school is a sort of restriction in some kids eyes because it's something they have to do everyday, Because they see it as a restriction they may not be as motivated to succeed, they just to get it over with so they can do what they want. I think the most important thing the chapter brought up is basically the teacher has to care about what they are teaching because the students will then see the teachers passion and will be drawn in by it. Giving feedback on assignments and providing help when needed shows that the teacher cares and can motivate the students. Also to shy away from boredom it is important to try and include the students lives and interests in their school work in some way. Homework was another issue where it can be very time consuming for students with other commitments outside of school, so if a teacher is going to assign homework make sure that it is important to classwork the next day and correct it or at least provide feedback on it.

Homework is the topic that really stood out to me in this chapter because it was something we had been discussing in class before vacation. Homework is a risky thing for a teacher because some students may not get it done and if it is something important that will tie into the next class then they may become lost if they did not complete it. As a teacher I would like to think that my students will complete homework assignments, but that's just no reality. Personally, I don't find homework all that important, if the work assigned in homework is so important then it should be assigned during class time and finished then to make sure everyone has done it and has a good understanding. There are some situations where homework can be helpful such as when the book said that homework should be assigned when it is something that can only be done outside of school like an interview of a family member. I think that is so true. My material is important to me and I want my students to understand it to their fullest so any assignments that are important, which are all of them, should be taught and done within the classroom. Homework is not something I will assign on a daily basis, only when it is absolutely necessary because that is what the classroom is for.