Reluctant Teachers, Reluctant Learners

How would students teach someone who doesn't want to learn? Here's what a few 9th graders we talked with at South High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, had to say:

• "I don't believe that there are kids who 'don't want to learn.' I do believe though, that some kids have trouble learning or don't understand what the teacher is saying or teaching."
• "I think what motivates kids to learn is different for each individual student."
• "Well, first of all, I'd address the problem in a good way and find out the reason they don't want to learn."

As teachers, there are many things we can't control: district budgets, state legislatures' attitudes toward education and financing, No Child Left Behind and how it's interpreted, and inequality of wealth and educational privilege. But these 9th graders mentioned some things teachers can control. By focusing on what we can do, we can reach many learners who appear to have given up.