Academic excellence and brilliance are what most of us have aimed for throughout our school lives. Better academics simply means that one has a better shot of being successful in life. The more straight A's you earn, the greater your chances of owning a Tesla. Now, of course, this is not true for all of us, but this holds true for at least 90% of us. Therefore it is safe to go with the age-old proposition of how academically bright students have a brighter chance at a successful future. Not all students who did not go to Harvard will struggle in life, but it is the notion that everyone who did go to Harvard will have a successful future.

Many people find themselves in a bind when they become demotivated or unenthusiastic towards academics. Many parents want to find the right ways to motivate their children, but they do not know-how. The causes of demotivation among students can be numerous and are very different from individual to individual, however, these students can be categorized under three loosely defined rubrics. Let us look at these three categories one by one and check if you find yourself fitting into one of these.

The first category of students struggles to receive anticipated and proportionate results. They often find themselves amidst disappointment and this leads to a negative psychological impact on them. This could be mentally draining and tiresome, and if this persists over a long time, students may give up.

If the student fits into this category, mentors and parents should try to identify the problem areas for the student. Why is the student not able to achieve the desired results? Are they not studying in the right manner? Are they dividing their time judiciously? Are they lacking in terms of planning and revision? Mentors need to identify the problem areas, devise new methods of approaching the tasks, and encourage the students to craft their own solutions.

Once the student gets used to the process, practice questions and mock tests can work wonders. This can enable the students to come up with newer methods to solve the problems and also help them identify and work on their weaknesses. Once an individual gets to know about their weaknesses and knows how to craft their ways around them, their confidence and enthusiasm can increase drastically.

The second category belongs to the students who are not fascinated by the idea of academic excellence, but their passions lie somewhere else. For instance, Kabir is great at football and athletics, but he does not really seem to fancy academics as such, as a result, his parents would not support his dreams for football and consequently, he gets upset and does not perform well furthermore in his studies. Now, what does Kabir do to balance football and academics since this arrangement is clearly not working out?

Now, in this situation, Kabir’s mentor should get into a conversation with his parents and educators to devise new methods for him to develop an interest in academics. This can also help Kabir compartmentalize his academic obligations and his passions for art. Once he gets into the habit of compartmentalization, he will be able to prioritize tasks and later reap results in both fields. In this case, what’s important is to incentivize a student’s passion for his likings as equally as academic requirements to develop and foster a healthy balance between the two.

What is different about the third category of students is that they are barely interested in anything, be it academics, a sport, a hobby, or an area of art. These kids are the toughest of the lot to be pushed in a direction. To motivate these students, the mentor, parent, or guide must work together with these kids to understand what they are possibly good at, and then work in conjunction with them to push them forward in this direction.

Once they have started to develop some interest in this field, they can be pushed further by getting them engaged in internships, projects, summer schools, and more. Once this has been achieved, they can be motivated towards academics like case 02 students and then continue thereon.

This third category of students is a bit more challenging to deal with and the process to get them to their dream destination in terms of academics and scores, can take a longer time. If not monitored properly at every stage during this process, the progress of these students can lapse, and they can go back to level 0. This is a lengthy and patient process, and one must believe in the power of determination and patience to get the student closer to his goals.

Motivating students can be a challenging task. Specifically, more so because it requires us to understand the reason behind the lag and demotivation. The causes and reasons are different for every student, and they all have different needs.

It is up to the parents, teachers, and mentors to work in conjunction with these students to push them forward in their paths to success. Students should be able to approach these people without any hesitation and difficulty and it is up to the elders to create this very effective bridge of communication.