Motivating students is one the most difficult parts of being a high school educator, and the same goes for parents as well. This is especially true for students who are struggling and who have been unmotivated for years. These students begin to exemplify learned helplessness. This is where students consider themselves to be failures and don't see any reason to try and better themselves. They feel they are lost causes and give up on the thought of achievement. Yet there are ways parents and educators can make a difference.

Do not accuse any student of being lazy. Realize that many students go through the learned helplessness phase and need support. Provide that support for the student as a parent by staying in contact with the school and the child's teachers. Do not wait until grades come out to sit down and connect. Talk on a daily basis and be more helpful than critical when it comes to the child's school work.

Use various motivational factors to reach all of your students as a teacher. Praise students who are more concerned about recognition or status for effort and improvement. Offer choices to students more driven by autonomy. Use projects to motivate the inquisitive student. Build meaningful relationships with students who are more people-oriented. Give informal, unannounced rewards to students who are motivated by affiliation. Give more power-driven students the opportunities to show their talents.

Use intrinsic motivation for students who are more interested in their work. Give these students the opportunity to delve more into their work because they are more interested in the subject and more apt to desire to master it. Use extrinsic motivation for students who are more interested in making good grades. Give these students the opportunity to complete multiple assignments because they are more interested in the final results of their efforts.

Make academics relate to real life. Use current events, pop culture and home life examples when teaching high school students. Find role models such as people from pop culture and peers to influence the academics and behavior of the students. Use peers who were once unmotivated students themselves and overcame barriers to become successful students. Invite such role models to be guest speakers for the class.

Balance the work that is being taught in the classroom. Make sure that the work is not too easy to ensure students are challenged. Do not make the work too difficult so you don't discourage the students. Use scaffolding-type teaching, where the difficulty of the work gradually increases. Assign work that is slightly above the student's understanding to promote academic growth.