Less than two weeks ago, I was a full-time high school teacher, and had been for more than two decades. Although I always teach George Mason University classes during the summer as well as during the regular year, this summer seems different because these students are representative of my future. Now that I have a full-time college job, I will never again teach anyone younger than 19 years old.

Yet my current students resemble high schoolers in unexpected ways. College students are not in my classroom to improve their intellectual lives—they are there to fulfill a requirement, just as my high school students wanted a good grade and college recommendations. College students’ demeanors are more controlled, yet they are just as hurt when they receive criticism. They are adult versions of the adolescent, insecure pranksters I’ve left behind.