As an intrinsically motivated learner, I sometimes find it difficult to reach out to my unmotivated students. I find myself with the attitude that it's their money and their life; if they don't care to work, I can only do so much to help them. This is especially true considering the schedule and lifestyle of the adjunct instructor. I teach English at three schools in three different programs. I'm provided with course syllabi and textbooks for each course, but individual lesson resources/activities, tests, quizzes, etc., are often lacking when they're provided at all. And it can be difficult to network as an adjunct instructor.
In other words, as a young instructor with training in his field but not in teaching, I find my time already full between familiarizing myself with the course curriculae, coming up with any (let alone good) class activities, and grading. I enjoy teaching and care about the success of my students. But I find the idea of motivating them really challenging.
I feel really prepared to work with motivated students. I'm encouraged by their enthusiasm and excited by their accomplishments. When they'd rather play on their smartphones or gaze out the window, I'm pretty content to let them as long as they're not distracting others.
How about those with more experience? Does it get easier to work on motivating students when you're not constantly battling to keep up with your lesson plans and grading? How do you get to know the "personal interests and hobbies" of your students when you have so many full classes? Is this something that also becomes easier with time? And how do you balance professional development (such as spending the recommended four hours on this module), all the responsibilities of teaching, getting to know your students, and not have it bleed into your personal life?
Maybe these are all common concerns for an inexperienced teacher who has the good fortune of getting several jobs at once, but any tips or advice would be appreciated.
