I had a teacher ask me that once about my eldest....and I refuse to take credit, too. It always seemed to me that she basically sprang from the womb fully formed, in all her overachieving Alex B Keatonesque glory.
Is there was a secret I'd be using it myself.
Great picture. And yes... this is the fundamental question: "How can we get them motivated to achieve?" I find that it has to come from within the student. That takes a mixture of teacher/parent/student to get it done. And sometimes it just doesn't happen. When it does... it's wonderful. And I think we should all take credit. 
My favorite method, which seems to work pretty well with these 95%+ parents:
"You have a wonderful child. They've scored highly on the tests, turn in their homework fully completed and on time, and participate regularly in class. It's a pleasure to have them in class."
"Is there anything they're doing wrong?"
"Not at all, but I can make something up if you really want."
Most parents seem to accept that as a pretty good recommendation and let up on them.
Commenting by HaloScan
