Teachers dread helicopter parents — those who habitually swoop in to rescue their children. Imagine losing your coaching job because someone’s kid, who occasionally makes practice but never breaks a sweat, doesn’t see much game time.

Helicoptering has been cited as a factor contributing to extended adolescence, especially for men. Consider what Richard Rohr says in, From Wild Man to Wise Man:

In almost all cultures men are not born; they are made. Much more than for women, cultures have traditionally demanded initiation rites specifically for the boys. It is almost as if the biological experiences of menstruation and childbirth are enough wisdom lessons for women, but invariably men must be tried, limited, challenged, punished, hazed, circumcised, isolated, starved, stripped, and goaded into maturity. The pattern is nearly universal, and the only real exceptions are the recent secular West.

As you interact with students, pay attention to the challenges and hurdles that will help forge maturity in them.