If you know a student who utterly lacks motivation and interest for school, keep reading. Taken from our Quickest Kid Fixer-Uppers Books, here are novel, unexpected ways to turnaround apathetic, bored, unmotivated, disinterested, at risk, negative students. Once you've used these methods, you may find that you are finally working with motivated, hopeful, interested students who recognize the incredible value of school.

*** If Life Were This Easy: Use this intervention with students who think your services are a waste of time. To use this intervention, read or show one sentence of the following text, one sentence at a time. Allow students to laugh and snicker at each sentence before revealing the next phrase. This intervention works really well, and is fun. Enjoy!

Here's your new, high-paying job-- and you can never be fired from it!
Here's your new, beautiful spouse, who is always cheerful, never sick, and has tons of money! Hope you like your new home. It's your dream house and it's paid for, and will never need repairs! Here's all the possessions you've ever wanted, and, of course, they are already paid for!

If life were this easy, you wouldn't need us!

*** Sign This: Use this intervention with students who think your services are useless. This device is especially designed for older, harder-edged kids, and is not appropriate for younger kids and other youth. Please be thoughtful about using it as it is very surprising and unusual—but powerful and effective. Be sure this device is appropriate to your site and community.

The next time you are having students signing forms, and completing paperwork tasks, simply include the text from the document below in the stack of papers, then put that paper away until another time. The next time a student tells you for the "hundredth" time that your school or agency is a waste, have the child review the following contract they signed.

This rather wordy document essentially says: "I don't want to be allowed to do anything I like," (or use other similarly surprising content.) When the child says that they wouldn't have signed the document if they'd understood it, you can respond: "Then maybe we still have something to offer you here."

The undersigned agrees to never attempt any participation, commitment or interest in any event, sport, past time, etc. that is a favorite or preferred selection. The undersigned wishes to never perform any favored activities including but not limited to use of electronics, telephony, etc. for the next millennium or longer.

If you like these creative methods, we have so much more for you on our web site. You should especially check out our compelling posters that actually can shock students into becoming more motivated about school.

Ruth Wells
www.youthchg.com