The Role of Passion in Motivating Learners

I know a chemistry teacher named Nate who treats talking about isotopes like calling out winning Powerball numbers. Kids don’t often hide their phones in their laps when Nate lectures about chemistry. Instead, they lean forward in their desks and connect with the excitement emanating from their teacher. They strive to understand what he is teaching and race to demonstrate their understanding because they know he does this “shaking thing” when he gets excited and lets out a howl that you can hear from the hallway. And there is no better way to get Nate excited than by showing him you understand something about science.

Nate has a way of making the content he teaches compelling to his students. It’s in his hand movements, how he darts to the whiteboard when he thinks of a way to illustrate a point, and the different tones of voice he uses. He doesn’t start his lectures with bravado but works his way to the climax, speaking with a cool and calm voice until he reaches the crescendo. Not every student leaves Nate’s class loving chemistry, but they all leave knowing that Nate does.

Personal passion is infectious.

Nate’s secret sauce for delivering compelling, epic lectures is partly owed to his deep connection with the material. It’s not that he has expertise in everything he teaches or that he is a world-renowned scientist and knows every detail about chemistry (although maybe someday). Instead, Nate is fascinated by chemistry, his subject area, and wants others to be fascinated by it as well. He knows there is a relationship between a student’s understanding of the content and their own confidence, ability, and success. This comes across in how he teaches it, and many students adopt his same feelings.

This type of passion is infectious because of a phenomenon psychologists call emotional contagion. Humans naturally absorb and mirror the emotions of those around them, often without realizing it. When a teacher communicates genuine excitement through their tone, body language, and facial expressions, students begin to feel that same excitement themselves. Studies show that this transfer of emotion increases student engagement, boosts motivation, and encourages them to persist through challenges. In other words, when Nate lights up about isotopes, his students are far more likely to light up about them too.

Why you should be passionate about the content you teach.

Passion for the physical act of teach is important, but it is not enough. Of course, it’s important to be energized by the many aspects of educating students, from building relationships, to designing learning units, to mentoring learners, etc. But is the content you teach worth getting excited about? Do you personally care about the subject matter of your class?

The fact is, everything we teach in classrooms should have some level of inspiration behind it. There should be a purpose to the content of our classes beyond the fact that they are in the state or federally prescribed content standards. If we can’t articulate the purpose behind subject matter, then what is the point of teaching it? Also, it is near impossible to display passion without the fuel of purpose. 

Angela Duckworth’s research on grit shows that passion is sustained by a sense of purpose. In her book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, she explains that lasting enthusiasm comes from connecting what we do to a meaningful goal that benefits others. For teachers, this means that when we can clearly articulate why our subject matters beyond meeting standards, we can more naturally bring authentic passion to our teaching. That passion is what students are most likely to notice, connect with, and adopt themselves.

This doesn’t mean you have to love everything you teach.

Not everything you teach needs to make you want to holler out loud and scare people walking by in the hallway. It doesn’t all need to be exciting. For instance, I’ve never been a huge fan of teaching grammar. If it was up to me, when teaching writing in ELA, I would only plan creative writing units and help kids exercise their creativity. The truth is, it isn’t easy getting students excited about the use of semicolons and participles.

However, proper grammar is about providing clarity, and clarity is essential in writing. If I want my readers to understand the ideas I am trying to articulate, they need to have command of syntax and structure. This is the purpose of grammar instruction, so I teach knowing this purpose and try to communicate that purpose to students. And this purpose is the birthplace of that passion we talked about earlier.

Passion is Why AI Will Never Replace Teachers

Artificial intelligence can store endless information, recall facts instantly, and even mimic human conversation, but it cannot replicate the human passion that inspires students to care. When a teacher lights up about a topic, students do not just learn the material, they feel the energy and purpose behind it. This emotional connection is what drives them to persist through challenges and take ownership of their learning. AI can simulate enthusiasm, but it cannot genuinely feel it, and students can sense the difference. Real passion comes from a human being who believes in the value of the content and in the potential of the learners sitting in front of them, and that is something no algorithm can replace.