Why Are Students Feeling Unmotivated at Fitz?

Teachers have been noticing that students have been feeling unmotivated this quarter. How can Fitz make students feel more motivated in class, and why are students feeling so unmotivated?

Students feel unmotivated to do work in their classes, and it's causing them to earn bad grades. Teachers want to help them with their work but don't know how to persuade them. One possible reason could be that students are overwhelmed. Do students feel like they are not smart? Ms. Chin said, “Some students have fixed mindsets, they don't believe that they are smart enough and just give up.” To address this issue, teachers must find ways to engage and support their students. According to Yale News, statistics show that 41% of middle school and high school students are disengaged in learning, so how can teachers and staff help them?

The pressure of school activities could be the reason why students do not want to do anything in school. An anonymous 7th-grade student said, ”I feel unmotivated sometimes because some days it's just hard to do things. I mean we just have so much on our plate.” This explains why students did not want to do their work last quarter. Students have many different things going on—different classes, homework, friend drama, as well as responsibilities at home—which could be making them mentally drained.

But how can teachers help students do their work? An anonymous 7th-grade girl suggested that teachers could approach this issue by “[giving] more breaks.” Spending all day in classrooms with teachers just telling you something could get old and a mental break could make students get ideas, which could be beneficial to them. Additionally, incorporating interactive activities and having teachers teach in varying ways could keep students feel engaged. 

The lack of motivation in the classroom significantly affects students' perspectives on school. Hopefully, our Fitz students can end this year on a high note and will continue to feel motivated to be successful in the classroom.