High school students are an interesting specimen.  They are old enough to realize that the work you “make them” do may not apply directly to what they want to do with their lives.  Of course, they don’t know what they want to do with the rest of their lives, so how do they really know whether they’ll need it or not?

Like math for instance: how will they know that they don’t need geometry?  What if they decide they want to be an architect, or contractor, or even a lawyer (proofs)?

High school students also act very similarly to elementary students.  They need to be engaged to stay interested in their work.  They need someone that believes that they can succeed to believe it themselves.  They need tough love and structure to survive, even though they would never admit it.

The dilemma that I have is being tough enough on the people that are assigned in my room so that they will have that tough love and structure that they need to succeed, but to also make a welcoming learning environment, but not so welcoming that people feel they need to get in trouble just to be in here.