By control, I mean the students did what I said when I said it. I was the teacher and that is the way a good class manager should operate. Control didn't work with John. He resisted doing anything on command. Not many that I know of, and I include myself in that.
Autonomy is important.
Maybe rethinking my idea of control in the classroom was overdue. John resisted actively, but others may be resisting passively. They could be building up resentment towards me and towards learning. I thought about the people in my family whom I thought I could control. I knew better than to try to control his behavior.