Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Where Does Hard Work Come From?

Some students work sooooooo hard. No matter what the task is in Reading Workshop, they give it their best. Where does the motivation come from?

At eleven years old, a sixth grade student doesn't consciously decide to be motivated and work hard. There must be some inner drive that pushes them to succeed. Even when the task is daunting, some students persevere.

In some cases I am sure students see it modeled at home. Parents that work hard are bound to influence their children. Many parents push their child to succeed in school. However, not all hard working students have this type of support at home.

Some sixth graders may be beginning to think about their future. Ideas of a college education and a successful career may start at this age. Also, watching someone else who is successful, might cause students to emulate behaviors.

Really though, it seems like in most hard working students, the effort they put forth is just part of their being. Something in their make-up pushes them when others would quit. In fact, I wonder if the hard workers even recognize how they are different.

What do you think? Can you explain the motivation to succeed? Is it something a person is born with? Can someone learn to work hard?
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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think if you want a certain job when you grow up you should do good in school. That is what they look for when they are accepting you for a job. They have to know what you were good at when you were in school.

If you got bad grades in school they are going rethink about accepting you because your grades are a reflection on who you are.

If you are someone who got awesome grades they might say hey he is good at this certian subject. Then you would think I got this job because I did good in school.

Anonymous said...

Working hard is absolutely key to a solid education. But these days, sound educational policy from Washington is just as crucial.

If you support these core initiatives:

• Effective, empowered teachers and school leaders;
• Student assessments that stress 21st century skills;
• Universal access to high-quality early education;
• A safe, healthy learning environment; and
• Affordable college for all students;

Then let President Obama know! Visit EDVOTERS.ORG and sign the petition today!

Anonymous said...

Yes someone can learn to work hard or they can just be born with it. For me its because I want to go to collage. So I can go to medical school. You need good grades to go. Some times I don't know I'm doing it. I also don't want to get grounded when I get home. I work hard most of the time and try to get/stay on honor roll.

Anonymous said...

yes I think some kids do well but some others don't unless they are pushed into doing it. There are certain jobs out there and they require certain specialties. If you want them you got to work in school for it.

Bree said...

If my parents didn't care about my grades then I probably wouldn't care either.
I'm glad my parents ask about my grades and if I have any home work.

Anonymous said...

If no one cared about my grades or what i did in school I would not do as well. My parents always say if I want a good job then i have to keep my grades up. I want a good job so I do a good job in school. My mom always asks me if I have homework and without her saying that I would never get my homework done.

Anonymous said...

Starting in fourth grade, I began on a track of becoming a stellar student. Since then, I have gotten straight A's in school. I really never thought about what really pushed me to achieve this until I ran into your post. I think part of the reason is that I love my mom very much, and while I was still in fourth grade, she had to work two jobs to support our family. I would never see my mom on the weekdays. No. She worked from 6 A.M. to 12 midnight. It was very saddening, even as a child, for me to see her go through this. On top of this, we had constant troubles in my family. My brother is a drug addict, and as you can imagine, the stress only falls on the parents. As a son, I cried whenever my mom cried. I hated it. And so I work hard so that one day, my mom can be proud and happy.

Another stimulus, and one that I discovered only when I started doing well, is that I really enjoy the feeling accompanying success. The more I do well, the more I want to do even better. It's this positive feedback mechanism that is really hard to describe, but is nonetheless one of the reasons why I strive to perform well academically.

I am in the process of applying to medical school, but am now hesitant for the very same reason that pushed me to do well. My dad was recently let go from a relatively well paying job and is now doing manual labor. He is 60 this year. My mom is also doing the same type of job, with severe arthritis and mild diabetes. The place they work at provides no medical insurance. I am lost as to what I should do. I just want my parents to be happy.