15: Will

       In his last talk, James explains the idea of will.  He states in the broader sense that will “designates our entire capacity for impulsive and active life” (p. 83).  In the narrower sense, James claims that will are acts such that “cannot be inattentively performed” (p. 83).  Most of the students I teach, fail to hold their own education with high regard.  They are in school because they have to be.  For the most part, they do not complete assignments outside of class because once they leave the classroom,  that particular part of their life is over.  For me it truly is a battle of wills. I see the potential that I desire them to achieve.  I encourage, reward, and just short of beg them to take charge of their own education.   I am sure I reach some, others slip through the proverbial cracks.  On a daily basis, I try to make the students realize that education and learning reaches far beyond the classroom. 

It does not matter what subject you teach, differences in students’ performance are affected by how much they are willing to learn.  Effective teaching is deliberate.  It involves attention to detail, creativity, and careful planning.  Teachers must choose instructional activities that fit the students’ level of prior knowledge along with their own internal motivation.  Even if every thought is taken into consideration, teachers still may be unable to reach a student simply because the student has no desire to learn or is apathetic to school in general.   James relays a similar thought in his last talk.  He states “So long as the inhibiting sense of impossibility remains in the child’s mind he will continue unable to get beyond the obstacle” (p. 89).

How can we instill the will to learn in our students so that we reach beyond their preconceived notion that school is a hassle or a waste of time?  How can get the student to go beyond that obstacle?

William realizing Turbo does
whatever Turbo wills to do.