What Does It Take To Get Motivated

Does someone else have to motivate you? Does someone have to shake you up and say, "Get with it!" Or can you motivate yourself? Can you decide to follow the fish philosophy and "choose your attitude"? Or doesn't it work like that?

What happens that you suddenly are inspired once again to "make things work"?

Have you ever spun your wheels, then suddenly the tire catches dry ground ... and you were no longer stuck?

I believe that people should be intrinsically motivated. Many people are. The colleagues who I work best with are intrinsically motivated to make things happen. I have incredible conversations every single day. Our school district is moving forward and embracing 21st Century learning. The thing is, we already are further ahead with technology than many other districts ...

What's that, you say? Oh, technology itself doesn't make for 21st Century learning? True. Technology is a tool to help facilitate 21st Century learning.

Things to think about this week–end:

• Technology is only a tool to help facilitate what MUST happen in the classroom in the future. What we have done for the last several years NO LONGER works for our kids.

• If we want our kids (students, children) to be intrinsically motivated, it no longer makes sense to make them "power down" when they arrive at school to learn. We have to embrace their lives or we will lose them. We cannot afford to lose them.

• 21st Century learning is not a "fad." It's a signal that we must transition if we are going to prepare today's kids for tomorrow's world. Researchers and speculators suggest that today's kids will have several careers, many career changes, and WE DON'T EVEN KNOW their jobs let alone the fields.

• You can "choose your attitude" all you want, but if all the pieces of the puzzle aren't fitting together, then choosing an attitude may only be a bandaid.

Get motivated. Make something happen. Just do it.