Unteachable Kids

Is it true that there are indeed kids that are unteachable? The teaching profession is constantly being reminded that there are only teachers who do not know how to teach. Personally, I have witnessed many teachers struggle to hammer in new knowledge into kids under their guidance. Some are successful with certain kids but never have I notice any particular teacher that is successful with every kid.

There is a saying in Chinese that if a cow refuses to drink, no one can force its head down. Applying this into our classroom, if a kid does not want to learn, no one can force him or her to do so. While this is correct in some way, I feel that the main challenge in teaching any kids is not in teaching itself.

The main obstacle or to put it in a better perspective, the main catalyst in teaching any child is how to motivate learning so that when teaching begins, the will to learn is ready to tap in. Therefore, unteachable kids are simply kids that are not motivated to learn. How then, can kids be motivated to learn? Is motivating kids to learn the sole responsibility of teachers? Please comment...