ABSTRACT
Sometimes the teacher and the subject matter prove insufficient to kindle a fire. In the early 1990s an afternoon ninth/tenth grade algebra class was giving me fits. The students didn’t seem to be able to settle down. They finished only half the work my morning group completed. This was very unusual for Sidwell, where students placed a high value on success. My first impulse was to blame their difficulties on a clique of immature ninth-graders.
