Wanted to play metallica and dream theater when I started. I know I won't go anywhere far sooner if I started with their songs (being a trying perfectionist :-D) so I looked for some other bands that I really liked and had songs where the drum parts can "easily be learned" but not a straight 2 & 4 (being a "kid" back then, 2 & 4 is not that cool ;-) ) so I ended up doing 1979 by smashing pumpkins.
Personally, I listed down the types of music I enjoy listening to, listed down the bands then I looked for instructional materials focusing on those. I find that if I just practice for practice' sake and not really to make music, I end up getting bored and uninspired then eventually just stopping. But if it's for music's sake, I could stay longer.
The trick is to get something the student likes to listen to, has the passion/determination/drive to study and play it. Learning is really a personal thing. Others like to plan, study a lot, listen a lot of times before going to the kit. Others just want to go directly to the kit. Others prefer reading the notes, other prefer hearing the sound and copying the sound. Others prefer learning the movement and then listening afterwards. I think "personalization" and the non-technical stuff (reaching out to the student, encouragement, connecting, etc..) is what makes a good teacher great
For the materials, +1 on groove essentials. Another is Johnny Rabb's jungle drum and bass book. The exercises in there are great even for slow tempo and mid tempos (will definitely work for other genres aside from dnb). Great (underrated?) book IMHO.