How to Motivate Students - Teachers or Interests?

After our discussion with Dr. Glassman on Monday, I began to think about how often I have been motivated/interested in learning in the classroom. Was it really the teacher or was it truly what my interests are? When it comes to classes that truly did not interest me, I can honestly say that I was not amused and simply had a hard time listening and really wanting to learn about the subject. However, I do remember one teacher that reached out to me and I still am in contact with today who actually got me motivated and willing to do the work for a class (not necessarily interested in) that I absolutely despised. I can't say that she changed my strengths, but watching how excited she got to teach the subject matter and seeing how much extra time, even outside of class, that she was willing to use to explain or help students really inspired me. It gave me a sort of respect for her that pushed me to push myself when it came to this dreadful class. I have even seen this in personal experiences I have had with tutoring elementary school students as well.

So, while I do not believe that a teacher can determine a child's interests or the way their brain works in terms of subjects they like, I do believe that a teacher can leave a positive impact on a subject that a student may or may not necessarily like. In my opinion, this can be one of the most challenging things to do as a teacher. A teacher must be dedicated to spending their time with students and have a true desire to reach out to their classroom. This will in turn motivate the students to be better learners and interested in the subject(s) and possibly create a passion of their own. It is easy to work with the students that are already motivated, but the satisfaction of getting a student to think in a new way or seeing your passion rub off on them is what I believe are one of the true rewards of becoming an educator. 

Here is an article I found on motivating children in the classroom: http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/affective/motivation.html

I think all of them can be very useful, especially the "peer model" and "establish a sense of belonging" tips: be a model in how to be passionate about learning and make the student feel comfortable enough to ask for help and explore. But to me, the best way to motivate students comes from a teacher's passion and heart that they are willing to put into their classroom.