Motivating students is a major challenge for educators. Quality instruction delivered by caring teachers with access to the latest technology won't have much of an impact if students do not care about learning and becoming successful achievers. Teachers can bribe, cajole and plead, but ultimately, motivation has to come from within. With hard work and patience, there are some things teachers can do to help kids understand the value of education as well as its responsibilities and rewards.

Talk to your students about intrinsic motivation. Ultimately, they are responsible for their own learning and level of achievement. Talk to them about pride in accomplishments, such as finally understanding long division or algebra. Encourage personal challenges such as reading more books and learning a new hobby in addition to academic pursuits. These activities build self-esteem, which increases internal motivation.

Help students understand the usefulness of knowledge by applying concepts practically. When teaching math skills such as percentages and money, bring sales circulars from local stores and get students to calculate the prices of items after discounts are subtracted. Students who have an aversion to math may be motivated to participate when they realize that what they are learning can help them outside the classroom.

Praise and reward effort and improvement. There is nothing wrong with using external motivations such as praise, privileges and prizes. However, do not rely on these methods to transform a reluctant learner overnight. External motivators should be used for short periods of time as encouragement to meet a specific goal such as learning multiplication facts for numbers 1-12 or memorizing the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution.

Set high expectations for achievement at the beginning of the year. Briefly explain educational objectives that they are supposed to master, and challenge them to meet and exceed them. Even very young children will understand if you use words they understand instead of technical "teacher" talk. Just knowing that the teacher believes in them will motivate kids to achieve.

Communicate with parents. There is often a disconnect between parents and teachers that kids will use to their advantage by playing one against the other. If they can create tension between these two parties, there is less focus on their grades and achievement. Talk to parents frequently. Write notes weekly, if possible. When children know that their parents and the teacher discuss and monitor their progress, they will be motivated to try harder.