“When a seventh grader doesn’t understand something, he or she can suddenly think about not understanding. Such thinking may not lead to understanding and may in fact lead to frustration. Indeed, many of the frustrations middle school students experience may result from this new reflective thought–this thinking about thinking. They may even worry about why they are thinking about their thinking.” Browne, D., & Knowles, T.

Reading this passage made me laugh at loud and brought me back, if only a little, to my adolescence. While I certainly worried before adolescence, it seemed to go into to overdrive during this time. They were definitely difficult times, but also very fun. As the article suggests, this very turbulent time is very important in youths’ development. I thought it was very important that the article mentioned that teachers need to remain calm and professional in the face of adolescents’ erratic behavior. I know that many of my teachers didn’t act in this way and it only caused harm for many. In this period, when many youths are forming their identity, it is very easy to leave indelible impressions. That is why it is of the utmost importance that we as teachers carefully guide, inform and support students the best we can by using all the knowledge and tools available to us to ensure that they have a chance to come through this stage to the best of their abilities.