Cliques Can Affect Your Educational Performance

The social issue Botstein is addressing and trying to solve is ineffectiveness of high school and that it is “obsolete and should be abolished” (para. 1). He references the multiple instances where graduates have come forth to express that the “cliques and artificial intensity” inaccurately define the student roles. (para. 1). Botstein further details that these experiences do not translate to the “positions” individuals achieve in the real world. The high school environment amounts to an MTV reality show

Every teenager has a strong need to fit in and be part of a clique. It is hard to be an individual in high school; teens often feel that they need to conform to what their peers are doing to fit in no matter what cost. The elite group in Gossip Girl was popular based on their status in society and the designers they were wearing. In a typical high school the popular kids are the ones that are involved in sports and can afford to follow the new clothing trends. During adolescent years teens want to form an identity, Erikson’s identity crisis explains the struggle between identity achievement vs. identity confusion (Jafari, J. Identity.). Erikson believed that at each stage of life there is a particular issue or crisis, and during adolescents it is the struggle with identity (Jafari, J. Identity.). Dan and Jenny had a difficult time forming their own identities; they wanted so badly to fit in that they lost themselves along the way. I am sure there are many high school students who experience this crisis of identity achievement and confusion, when trying to find a clique to be a part of or simply trying to find

Between grades one through six, which is approximately 6 years of age to eleven years of age, children place priority and importance of popularity, which increases over the elementary school years, this reaches its peak in late middle school and in the early high school years. Studies show that children in grades one through four consider popularity more important than friendship. It was also found that early and middle adolescents generally place more emphasis on conforming and being part of a popular group than younger or older children do. The low-status group, which hope for acceptance into the high-status groups may get some attention, however, rarely do they obtain full acceptance. Erikson, Piaget, Vygotsky, Bandura, and Kohlberg all have theories that address the

The groups that are formed as adolescents often determine group associations as adults and define an individual within their social group that will either set them with or against other groups. This is described in an article on social groupings by Colin Allen, which mentions that our social associations as adolescents are strong indicators to future patterns of social norms as adults. Therefore, the group of students in the movie, The Breakfast Club, can also be extrapolated to adult group dynamics. However, the varying social norms between groups can present conflicts when adults are required to function within a very diverse group of individuals. In The Breakfast Club, the Jock, Geek, Prom Queen, Delinquent, and the Freak groups are brought together initially through an autocratic or directive leadership role, used to bring the group together in order to proceed to the next phase of group development. This stage is particularly important within a group of

Just like in the movie, high schools form cliques that are based off of similar personalities. Spending time in detention

Middle school was the point in every middle scholar’s life to find a group where they fit in. These groups were called cliques, a group centered around gossiping about others and even gossiping about one another in the group. In middle school this group became your community. The group you do everything with and told everything to. This group is almost like your other family. Sadly, this community, the people you surround yourself with can lead to negative thinking about others. Your community can easily persuade your actions and thoughts because the people you surround yourself with have such a big influence on your life.

Entering into Saint Francis High School can be a bit nerve racking. There will be so many cliques around campus such as the nerds, jocks, and druggies. Not being able to tell which one you may fit into will make high school more intimidating than it really is. How will you know what cliques are a good idea to join? Is it possible to be stuck between two cliques? For any new high schooler, finding the right group of students is all it might take to get you through those four years.

Let me start off by saying this reading really opened up my eyes. It’s crazy that there is so much that comes into consideration when being apart of a society. High school is a big part of many people’s lives, they need to make it out big in the hallways. This means that people will do anything in their power just to fit in with the “cool kids”. In reality there is such a thing of a higher status and a lower status, but the fact that in high schools it’s a huge problem is sad. When I was in high schools, which wasn’t that long ago, this was a big problem. People needed to have the hottest clothes, shoes, phones, and music, in order to just be recognized. The funny thing is was that, the “nerds” were very high in demand as well. The cool kids wanted to be on their side as

High School has obviously changed since the 1985 movie, The Breakfast Club, which portrayed different school stereotypes through five students, and how this made them reflect on their identity. In a way, this theme of different High School Stereotypes proves to still be evident in High School today when students

The fact that the students in this movie actually become friends at the end shows that when looking at this situation from a sociological view, it can be said that cliques are not always what defines people. Cliques can be a negative and a positive thing. Obviously the negatives to cliques are that people get labeled into stereotypes which can be hurtful to some, and that people isolate themselves from other peers that are not in the clique. Positives of cliques can be that the people in the group have a sense of belonging, support from their friends during tough times, and also have a form of identity.

Every public school lunch room is filled with many tables, every day these tables are the perfect place for a student to find where they “belong”. Like Beverly Daniel Tatum states in “Why Are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?”, part of the social groups forming in high schools goes to thank adolescents. Tatum writes, “As children enter adolescence, they begin to explore the question of identity, asking ‘Who am I?’ ‘Who can I be?’”(375). At this point in their life everyone begins to see their own interests and hobbies that makes them a little different than others. Because students are starting to realize their differences, in modern day high schools there are many social groups that students can identify with and feel the most comfortable being themselves.

In 2017, there are nerds, jocks, preppy girls, emos, trouble kids and many others. The terms and slang change, but the people and social groups

For four long years I felt as if my high school was in a different world in of itself. I had spent that time interacting with an extensive amount of groups, or “cliques”, and getting to know what they do. Through my experiences, I had begun to realize what made this “subculture” high school of sorts run like it did. High school is an incredibly dynamic time for people, and I had changed as a person dramatically from my freshman to senior year. Like many, my freshman year was quite awkward, as remnants of my middle school self remained with me. As time went on, how, I talked to more people and grew out of my passive and shy personality. This did not just randomly happen without reason though. I began to learn and realize who I was and whom I enjoyed talking to in school, which explained why I spent so much time socializing with multiple kinds and groups of people. Everyone’s concept of “normal” was different, and high school was where I learned that lesson and will never forget.

The purpose of this investigation is to determine the effects of the segregation of the students of Prairiewood High School into Selective and Community classes in their junior years (7-10 inclusive) only to be combined in their senior years (11 and 12). This case study looks specifically at the transition from being in ‘segregated classes’ in junior years to being in ‘combined classes’ in senior years and its effects on all the students personal and social interactions and identity.

Surviving high school is no easy task. From the very first day of class, students are forced to find comradery in various social circles. These cliques can range from sports jocks, to math and band geeks, to school club members, and to the social outcasts who could care less about school. While there are more various types of groups, the most common are the jocks and the nerds. As far as everybody in the school in concerned, the popular athletes and the “wimpy” nerds are from two very different planets. However, while there are a lot of differences between the two as far as physical appearance goes, I had the honor of being part of both worlds, and I know for a fact that they have more in common than either would care to admit.