I do believe that teachers must change, if not preceeding history, at least adapting to its development. Our students' present reality (depending obviously on the areas we belong to) is busier than before, because of several activities in the afternoon. We cannot ignore it. Therefore there no use in "obliging them" as far as motivation is concerned, as regards the time you waste in checking all of them, in the limited use deriving from duties performed not for personal need (it should be stimulated during the lessons) but as a compulsory task.
Training is not only underlining relevant technical aspects, it depends also and mainly on a personal attitude towards the activity, from which the time they are ready to spend on it derives spontaneously; moreover we can't deny that, in spite of all our efforts, students don't develop their skills at the same time and in the same way. Therefore specific, regular, daily exercises are boring for some of them and actually difficult for some others. Most of our work is to be done during the lessons as much as possible stimulating all of them in a different, appropriate way. Teachers of the English language should have less difficulty in motivating them as they can exploit all the sources (ads, slogans, films etc.) to attract their attention without using only the traditional, although relevant, means.
We can have better results if they love English, no result will come if they fear it. A careful, up-to-date selection of texts, activities, procedures and strategies might conquer them: when and if that happens, they are ready to learn without studying, just working with you, difficult structures and use them in practice.