"Middle schoolers are engaged in an experiment of how far their power to control their environment extends," says eighth grade teacher Susan Graham in this post at her Teacher Magazine blog. "The variable is how far they can push before the test subject responds negatively; and the test subject is pretty much any adult they encounter." When Graham, a 30-year veteran, encountered "J.R.", she was reminded again of these developmental characteristics as her tried and true classroom management system collapsed. And then she recalled a bit a wisdom recently gathered from a much younger colleague.
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