I think that teenagers demand a special type of person to work with them
It's not all entirely their fault, mind you. This world presses on the 13-18 set so many rules and regulations, almost all of which are in total conflict. With their parents, they are expected to act one way. With their teachers, they have to do and say different things, and for the average high school students, he or she has to contend with at least six different teachers, each of varying competence and character. What a mad-house it can be!
Then there are the peers! The other kids, different cliques, different followings, and all the pressures that come with the tangle of relationships!
It's just maddening when I think about it!
I used to be so frustrated with some students. One day, they were beaming and smiling, the next day they were in your face about something, then the day after that they would not say a word to you.
They were the enthusiastic friend, then they would be your worst enemy after that. When did the insanity stop for these students?
If I met a students one-on-one, they were cool, calm, and collected. In a peer group or in the classroom, they would act very differently.
The middle school set can be the most demanding, the most demeaning, the most challenging. They are wrapped up in all kinds of hormones, they have no idea what they want out of life, they leave the safety of one classroom for many teachers, and there is nothing to do during lunch and recess except to find one place where they can hang out every day and avoid the weird "loner" stares from the cool kids.
The adolescent set is a real challenge, no matter how anyone looks at it. That's just the way it is.