Dani Thinks About Personal Motivation

I was having a serious conversation with my Year 12 students the other day, and I had to stop and have a serious "think" about their lack of personal motivation.
These students all have to get a "C" or better on their GCSE tests in Year 11 in order to move on to A-Levels (courses which prepare you for university) or College courses. So basically you need a "C" or better on 5 subjects, including English and Maths (yes, with an 's') to move on in life. Seems pretty standard. Easy even, by Canadian standards.
The Year 12 class I see once a week is a GCSE Re-sit course. Meaning that they have gotten below a "C" in English, and have signed up, voluntarily to re-do their test, to try and better their position in life (a valiant idea!). The problem being, of course, is that they do not DO anything to try and better their mark. Each week I provide them with helpful tips for one section of the exam, and practice test papers for that same section. When they hand them in, I mark them and provide feedback. Except that only 2 of them hand anything in. EVER. Now as an educator, should I be standing up here putting the pressure on these kids to do their work. Hovering over their shoulders to make sure they are on task and working hard? Normally I would do that, with kids in younger years, but these kids have VOLUNTEERED to take this course. Asked for help to better their marks, and they still expect me to do everything for them. That the exam board will just hand them a "C" for bothering to show up to my lessons each week.

So the other day I asked them, very politely "if you are not going to do any of the revision I prepare for you, why are you here?"

Year 12 - "Miss, I want to get a "B" on my GCSE"

Me - "Doesn't look like it to me."

Year 12 - "What do you mean Miss?"

Me - "I mean, if you actually WANTED to get a B on your GCSE you would come in here, listen to my tips, take my revision packets and get to work. Then I would mark them, and give you both oral and written feedback, go through it with you individually until you understand the material, so thoroughly that you could never possibly fail. That is what this class is for,"

Year 12 - "Miss, you don't MAKE us do the work."

Me - "MAKE YOU? I should not have to MAKE you do anything. If you want a B, get to work. If you don't, then just sit there."

I then went on a 15-minute rant about personal motivation, which I can't remember the details of, but it went something like "When I was in high school, I WANTED to go to University. I WANTED to be a teacher. So regardless of which Joe-Blow teaching-type was up at the front, I was going to get an "A" in their class whether it killed me or not. It's called PERSONAL MOTIVATION." Then went on to explain to them that hard work = success. I spend my spare time planning these revision guides for them because they are a REVISION class, and my responsibility. If they want the marks, do the work.
Then I thought about the rest of my classes and thought - that is it, from day one. These kids are lacking any kid of personal motivation. Unless we spend our time singing-and-dancing and putting on a good show for them about WHY they should do school work, they will sit and do NOTHING for the rest of their lives. I practically bully my classes into doing anything and everything.

I just don't remember having to have a detention as a punishment held over my head in order to get on with my work, and hand in my homework. I did it because I wanted the grades, and I wanted to go to University, and I had my own life goals to work towards.
Personal Motivation, people. Get some of it!!

I can't really speak for Canadian high schoolers at the moment, but if having no goals and no 'umph' to work towards them is a world-wide thing - we are SCREWED!