Some teachers invite their students to have a say in formulating class rules, in setting assignment deadlines and other parameters, selecting class projects and in allowing a choice of field trips. Emotionally, junior high students can be moody. They wear their feelings openly, and sudden outbursts of joy, sorrow, and anger are common. This volatility, perhaps more than any other factor, makes teaching this age unappealing to may teachers. These emotional displays, however, are not usually serious and the teacher need not take them personally.
Adolescence is fraught with stress even for the child from a well-adjusted Christian family.
However, if personal or family difficulties are added to those that arise naturally, it may be enough to tip the scales. The Christian school must be alert to such situations. To be aware of the evolution of behavior is helpful. When a child is young, his behavior is dominated by maturational factors. As he grows older, experiential factors step to the forefront.