> > Pretty much. Children aren't smart enough to do anything other than mimic what adults teach them. So-called "High school drama" is socialized into them by cultural institutions. Be it family life, or television, or the books they read. They're only acting out what they know real people (and made-up people) do. Part of it is that children are expected to act this way in school, and part of it is that children are "practicing" the construction of their own societies, and they model them after what they see their elders do.
>
> This makes sense to me, except that I don't think it's that simple. It makes more sense that this is one factor in many. Emotional maturity must certainly play a key part. These are the puberty years and just after, when people haven't figured out how to handle new emotions and drives internally, let alone externally, and so of course that will manifest itself as socially immature behavior, even were the adults in their lives great role models (which, in some cases, they are).
>
> I think we can agree it's a ratty time of life all around.

For the most part, it's ratty. But there are kids who seem to be born mature. I had a student who at 14 was an adult. He even had a receeding hairline. He talked like a scholar and the truth is that he was pretty smart. I went to see a play at a dinner theatre and there he was playing the part of a Senator, when he was 18. I swear the audience believed he was 50. There was a little makeup, but he looked and sounded like a Senator. In theatre-in-the- round, the actors are only a few feet away from the audience.

Like most 11-year-old girls, my grandaughter is going on 19. She seems to understand issues that concern adults. For example,, she understands the conflict about immigration, legal and otherwise, from Mexico. She is half Peruvian and is rather proud of her hispanic heritage. She has been aware of it for a long time, and I'm am sure that is the reason for her interest in that particular issue.

I've observed a lot of kids over the years and less than 1% seem to have that maturity beyond their age, but they adjust to school better than the rest.
Howard