More About Motivation and What It Is and Isn’t

How many of you actually felt like doing your homework as a kid? During this episode, we’re talking more about motivation; a topic that keeps resurfacing in our conversations with kids. What if discipline was more valuable than motivation? Join us as we explore how to respond to kids who cite a lack of motivation as their reason for achieving below their capabilities. Delving into our childhood experiences, we consider our respective approach to working as Deans and unpack what it might look like to encourage your kids as they develop the muscle of discipline by doing hard things. We also take a look at what may lie below what kids experience as a lack of motivation and discuss an alternative way of understanding what might cause them to feel that way. Listen in to hear all this and more! 

Key Points From This Episode:

• [0:00:50] The topic we are revisiting during this episode: motivation.
• [0:01:19] Feedback Cathy has received from her students on motivation. 
• [0:04:01] Weighing in on how we all felt about our homework as children. 
• [0:06:52] What kids are really looking for in the moment: motivation to do their homework.
• [0:09:46] How Meredith and Cathy would define their style of work as Deans.
• [0:13:10] Teaching kids to develop the muscle of discipline.
• [0:18:51] Why it is beneficial to push your kids to do hard things.
• [0:22:31] Managing your own discomfort at seeing your kids suffer.
• [0:28:40] How technology robs students of sitting with their own discomfort. 
• [0:30:49] What kids can conflate motivation with: fear.
• [0:35:00] Why discipline is ultimately more valuable than motivation. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

The Value Sort App

Sh*t Your Teenagers Won’t Tell You

Sh*t Your Teenagers Won’t Tell You on Instagram