Finishing the Week

So as the week is coming to a close, a few things have lingered with me from a week of school that took forever it seemed. First, I am really enjoying my new approach to classroom instruction that seems to be going well.  The students are more engaged in discussions and I am finding some real topics that are connecting the past with the present.  Secondly, I am really searching for ways to motivate some kids who are behind.  I have tried talking to them individually, reducing their workload, calling home, and everything else I can think of and very few of them have responded positively.  It seems as though I am having to step into the shoes of parents and not only teach students content, but to be a motivating force behind their education as a whole.  Its one thing to motivate students to learn in your own class, but motivating them across classes (or to come to school at all) is very difficult and at times seems impossible.  I am continuing to research methods relating to motivation and will keep trying, but sometimes it just seems like a lost cause.