Many Marvelous Back-to-School Motivation-Makers by Ruth Herman Wells Youth Change

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Many Marvelous Back-to-School Motivation-Makers
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Submitted Wednesday, September 14, 2005
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Just in time for the return to school, here are

a few of our most popular and powerful apathy-

busters, all designed to build interest and

enthusiasm for school.

As you read the strategies below, pick

interventions that fit your students, and

match your style, community and setting. If you

like our interventions, come to our class, or

get some of our books and get hundreds more

must-have methods, all designed to awaken

your sleeping students!

* Will You Need Education When Life Strikes?:

Inform students that they will be playing

"Life Strikes," a game that tests if

school is necessary to the future. You

should have already prepared 'Life Strikes'

slips of paper, with enough for 3-10 slips

per student. Each slip should have a

statement on it, such as "Your HMO is

denying your claim" or "The state wants to

condemn your property." Distribute the

slips giving 3-9 slips per student. Ask

students to read aloud their slips then

determine if education can help when

life strikes.

* BONUS Intervention:

Ask students to create a soap opera

called "As Life Strikes." Each student

adds a sentence to the soap opera

story. After the story ends, ask

students to identify the times

that education was needed.

* Employer Directions Require Educated Deductions:

Show students that all/nearly all jobs

require education. Have them detail how

they would follow employer instructions such

as "Make sure that you only send widgets

to people in the Pacific Time Zone but not

to anyone who in the 510 area code or in the

L.A. metropolitan area who lives within the

county limits." Alternatively, have students

actually attempt to use actual work place

forms, applications, manuals and directions,

gathered from occupations known to interest

your students.

* BONUS Intervention:

Ask students to name all the jobs that

require no education of any type, which

means no written job application no

writing at all no reading signs, labels

or forms no completing government tax

W-2 forms no customer interaction no

phone usage no paycheck with deductions

on the pay stub no schedule to follow

no rules or policies to understand, etc.

There may be no jobs like that...

* Dropping-Out Can Leave You Defenseless

This is a very intense intervention only for

older students who are incredibly sour and

negative about school, and are close to

dropping out. Be sure to use this

intervention only if it is appropriate for

the student and your setting, and be sure

that you use respect, kindness and a

gentle style.

Upon entry into your school or agency, ask

the student to sign a very complex-looking

contract with text that the student is

unlikely to understand. After school

starts, and the student begins complaining

that school has no value, show the student

the contract that they signed long ago,

upon entry. Inform the student that the

document is an agreement that the student

will never ever do any of her favorite

activities again, such as using the phone,

interacting with friends, etc. Note that

education, especially reading skills, could

have helped. Assist the student to determine

what similar situations could occur in the

future when education could help.

* Diplomas Deliver Dollars

As of 1998, drop-outs earned about $16,000

per year, but high school grads, earned

nearly $7,000 more. Note that earning a

college degree can almost double your

annual income. Teach students that each

degree can almost double the dollars they

earn. If necessary, use automobile, housing

and grocery ads to show how little $16,000

in annual income buys in our contemporary

time.

Do you like these interventions designed to motivate

youth to see the value of school? This isn't a

topic that is widely covered-- especially if you are

seeking practical strategies, not theory. If you

want more maximum-strength motivation-makers,

our books, "Education: Don't Start

the Millennium Without It" and "Turn On the Turned-

Off Student" are packed with powerful

motivation-makers. Visit http://www.youthchg.com

for more info.

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