Unlike elementary and college classrooms high school students and teachers seem to have conflicting agendas. Teacher burn-out at the secondary level can be attributed to exhaustion from years of this common battle that is rarely discussed. As students graduate high school and move into college they magically change teams. Now the instructors and students seem once more to be on the same side with the same focus of direction, which is to see the student succeed. This change comes from a shift in the student's perception of how much control they have over their learning situation.
Psychologists believe the most important factor in stress level is perception of control.
When people feel they have control, they feel less stress. By changing the power structure in your classroom from teacher to student, a teacher can change the student's perception of control. The responsibility for learning shifts from the teacher to the student. This happens when teachers empower students to make their own learning decisions. Now the student, not the teacher, takes the blame or the credit for the education.