How do you motivate a lazy teenager?

Question

I have a student who takes private language classes in English from me. She's a 17 yo village girl who goes to an economics high school in a nearby town. She admits that she's very lazy (I can only confirm that) . And she says that she doesn't like reading nor does she have a hobby. She likes watching tv though but she fails to tell me about her favourite series or movie. When we first met she said she loved English. I asked her what she liked about it and she said she liked the way it is spoken. Still whenever I try to have a conversation with her on various topics she fails to compose even a single and simple sentence. As for her written work. She keeps mixing up word order and the usage of the verb be and do, and leaving sentences unfinished. She seems to be careless. She wants to pass an intermediate state exam but I'm afraid that she won't even manage to pass her GSCEs in English. It may sound cruel but I feel that she has no thoughts (even general ones) at all, let alone with having her own opinion about things. How could I motivate her so that she'd be able to pass at least her GSCEs in English?

Answer 1

Drop her as a student. Tell her she's wasting her time and yours and then leave.

Answer 2

tell her to stay behind and try and talk to her...maybe she will listen ...say this is what your doing wrong..if you want a good grade at the end and a good job when your older ..you have to decide now..it depends on what you do now...

if you keep this up ..obviously you will regret it when your older ..

so tell her these stuff that will get her thinking ..watching TV ...only makes the people who acts famous not the people who is watching it 24/7...so have a little think ..and am only trying to help you..

you choose what you want to do in your life...but i tell you now you are a clever girl...so use it << just compliment her and tell her dont come up running to me after you fail.. !!

just be strong on her .. and be a little harsh ....life is hard !! < explain these things to her too ..

and you ..dont you give up on her .. !!

maybe she needs to make more friends and go out often !!

anyways ..hope i helped !!

good luck..

Answer 3

even worse than me and thats saying something.

Answer 4

Rewards and incentives - speak to her parents and get them to limi her TV based on the effort she puts in.

Or, relate the work to what she is interested in.

Answer 5

h**l she doesn't need motivation she's a teenager motivate me instead.

Answer 6

I think its a case of tell her how it is. If she doesn't move herself and get working harder she isn't going to pass. At the end of the day its her chioce what she wants from life, and there is only so much you can do for her. The rest is up to her really.

Answer 7

I think you should ask her: How good do you personally think you do at English? You need to get her to see that she really isn't that good and that at this rate she may not even pass her GSCEs in English. Once she gets that reality check from you i believe she will become motivated and strive to achieve greater in English.

You do have to be carefull when giving her the 'reality check' talk, not to put her down too much and to spill the beans as nicley as possible but all the same harsh enough so that she gets the point.

Answer 8

make english more interesting for her, google visual learner, so like that you could know how you could teach her.

Answer 9

Thats a tough one. But I can Honestly say that I used to be like her. Well theres got to be something that she likes that you know she likes and you can try to relate that to her in English and for making conversation. If not she might have to fail in order to realize that she needs to get serious and off her ***.  

Answer 10

god help her

Answer 11

Is she possibly dyslexic?  It sounds like a learning disability of some kind to me.