Is Candy the only motivator?

by Tricia Siudut, Traditional Primary Teacher

Recently I have been thinking a lot about motivation. Where does it come from? What is the best kind of motivation? How can I motivate my students? We are all motivated by different things as adults: love, wealth, success, convenience, health, loyalty--the list goes on, but what motivates young children? I am sure that in the sugar soaked aftermath of Halloween most have noticed that candy is a motivating factor! Another powerful motivator is free-time to play. Seeing parents, friends and siblings is much anticipated by all of the children I am in contact with and motivates them to put on their coats quickly and wait enthusiastically for their names to be called at dismissal.

I recently heard someone say, “If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not you will find an excuse.” I do not know who said that first but in this powerful city where everyone is busy it seems that this is often true. Perhaps it is true for the children as well… Montessori teaches us that when the children are allowed to move about freely with the liberty to choose their specially designed activities their development will unfold in a holistic way, we need only to let them follow their inner guide and stay out of the way.  Their development is important to them- they want to be successful, to learn to communicate, and find ways of getting what they desire in life.

In the classroom I am constantly looking for ways to entice the children to practice Montessori’s activities that my instincts and education tell me are good for their development. I talk to them about the importance of challenging themselves, so that I frequently hear, “I am going to do some challenging work!” No words make me happier when they sound genuine because what I really want is for the children to be self-motivated. To practice not because they know I want them to, or their parents want them to, but because they are thirsty for the calm and satisfaction that lay on the other side of their efforts.   Many times a day I see children take out work spontaneously and engage successfully with it until they're satisfied. Montessori implored us to trust in the children and to trust in ourselves.