Stereotypical Teenager

A few months later, everyone in school noticed the change from the boy who was constantly lost, to a boy who was outstanding in all of his classes and receiving merits from all his

Have you ever felt like everyone in the class is looking at you? That was me in 8th grade, the new kid, not only to the school but to the country. My family and I had just moved from Germany to Columbus, Georgia, it was a big change in all of our lives. I sat in that class with not an a sliver of an idea of what I was doing, where I was going, or how I was going to survive this year. My shoes were not exactly the most stylish, neither were my clothes, Germany was not exactly the most fashionable country, so why would I be, I had lived there for 12 years of my life, I was 12 at the time. My teacher was Mr. Kahlouch, an old grouchy man that I would learn to not like even more as the year passed, but today he would make me stand up and introduce myself to a class where it seemed every student had already produced their own clique. I told myself that I would be okay, that it wasn’t a problem, and thought of the old cliché, “picture everybody naked.” I was ready, I walked up to the front of the class took a deep breath and went, “Hi my name is…” I woke up about an hour later, I had passed out in front of everyone in my new class at my new school, in this new country.

Jack was a boy who wanted to fit in with everybody in school. It took him awhile to understand that cliques begin in middle school. Realizing that he got labeled as “nerd” for reading books and having glasses, he decided to change his appearance. Jack stated, “I figured if I wore clothes that were more like everyone else’s I could pass for cool, or at least not be made fun of” (Garrod, 2012, p. 180). Along with the wardrobe change, he also convinced his parents to let him use contact lens’ and went to the dentist to fix his yellow patched teeth. Jack noticed how his peers picked on him during school. Even if he thought someone was his friends he knew if he did something they did not approve of, they would turn their back on him. He did not

The narrator, who does not come from extreme wealth, privilege, or class has trouble dealing with his lack of social prominence. The school has an elite group of boys, which the narrator is not a member of, who are understood to “get a leg up from their famous names or great wealth”(3-4). Being a senior, the narrator has spent the past three years assimilating to the social customs of his school and adapting the attitude of the elite boys. He has recognized many normalities that some of his peers such as Purcell and George Kellogg live by. The boys have a constant laidback and relaxed attitude that is fostered because of their innate understanding of their wealth. They wear clothes loosely and without care and do not give much thought to their future. Additionally, through their class and wealth the elite boys are grouped together and bonded by what seems, as the narrator describes : “tribal tattoos”. This high class attitude of some of the students is ever present as the narrators says, “Class was a fact….His way of turning cold at the mention of money, or at the spectacle of ambition too nakedly revealed”(15). The narrator realizes that public school attitude and being on scholarship, like he is, are repugnant at his school. Rather than announce his perceived shortcomings, in social capital, the narrator is very quiet and abstains from showing his true self to his school.

In an equal society, it is very hard to stand out, even for someone as tall as him. He wanted to be known by other people as someone who had done well. It wasn’t about helping the society, it was about getting his name out there. Teachers only put him down about everything. He never received compliments, just disgusted looks. People, like his teachers, didn’t like him because he was better than every other student. For “This is a great sin, to be born with a head that is too quick (21). In his society, it is frowned upon to be better. He just wanted one pat on the back, or one “good job”.  However, he didn’t get either of

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

his father and was isolated from people his age with who he could become friends with and

The entire class shared Jake’s view. No one felt the need to squander his or her social capital in defense of the weirdly dressed new kid. Side chatters and new conversations spawned on. The first three sentence about me in my new school involved “Hello”, yoga ball and panda. Embarrassed, I locked eye with the usual spot between my shoes as the crimson red slowly retreated from my face.

There are a group of students from Woodrow Wilson Classical High School who were apart of the new integration plan following the L.A Riots in 1994. Due to the unfamiliar school setting, students separated themselves into different groups: the Latinos, the African-Americans, and the Caucasian. A new caucasian teacher, Erin Gruwell, comes to the school to teach English to the Freshman and Sophomore class. Before the school year started, the Principal handed Erin Gruwell a list of students who were failing English, the majority of the students had grades in the fifties. Seeing the scores, made her realize that the students needed a great deal of work in order to improve their reading, the mass majority were reading at the 5th-grade level and were the freshman class in High School.

It was my first class, of my first day, of my first year at Sartell High School. As a freshman, everything about high school is nerve wracking. Simply just looking at an upper classman would send chills throughout your spine. Basically, school was prison at the time (metaphor). Every freshman would walk into their classes, crossing their fingers, and wishing to see one of their friend’s vibrant faces. I clearly remember that day; I trudged through the halls with some of my very best friends, and we tried to find our first classes. The smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies swam up my nose (personification); I then realized that I must be close to my first class, foods and nutrition. Standing outside the room, I look in and notice the room was white and vacant (Participial Phrase). My stomach dropped to the floor; I knew nobody in this class. I quickly glanced around the bare room, looking for a familiar face. The only other girl in my grade was absolutely the last person I would want to share this class with. She looked like somebody I would not normally want to associate with, conceited and stuck up. With rapid, quiet feet, I walked into the classroom, and I heard the rustling of papers (Prepositional Phrase). This could only mean one thing, a seating chart. I scurried through the chart and found my spot. Of course, I sat next to her, the cruelest girl in school,

He had to go against the world on his own and he avoided any social interaction because he did not want others to make fun of him or think he was weird.

One afternoon, at Kint High School, the students in room 214 were itching for the bell to ring so they can go home. Mark Sanders, a skinny short haired boy, was waiting for something more interesting; Basketball tryouts. “Come on, Come on please let this day be over.” Whispered Mark. He purposely did this to make sure nobody heard him. “Why are you so anxious? It's not like you any good.” Hollered Sheila, the most annoying girl in the class. Mark shot a look at Shiela that would be fatal if looks could kill. Sheila laughed “You're always quiet, just wait until you need to talk during basketball.” “Mind your business, don't worry about me I don't need to talk loud to play ball.” “Shiela why you always gotta be so negative, and Mark you think you're so much better than everybody. You have to start speaking up.” Uttered Mark’s friend Johnny. “You know what-” Shiela tried to talk but the bell cut her off.

Everyday was the same with Thomas O’Brien at Lincoln Gifted Magnet School. He was practically the only kid who listened to anybody at his school who would benefit him. All the other kids teased him about how he was the teacher’s pet. He despised being called that. All he did was want to be the best in his class and to dilate his education. Thomas absolutely loved learning but all the kids called him a weirdo and a freak for it. Only his close friends, teachers, the principal, and other academic officials understood him. “Thomas is an extraordinary student!” as teachers would say. He liked to keep it that way. He didn’t like anyone including himself bragging about his “exceptional grades” or how he is so polite. What he unquestionably hated was people

Consequently, he was alienated form both sexes. He eventually quit school because he was later diagnosed as having melancholia, which was the result of being isolated and having to stay alone.

     Tony finished getting ready, and then we left for the high school. The parking lot was filled with all the other seniors’ cars. Tony and I walked into the library ten minutes late like usual, and the principal had already started giving instructions. I found my place in line and then was all ears. I couldn’t help but look around at all the others. Smiles were plastered on their faces as if they had heard a hilarious joke. Once the principal concluded his speech, the whole senior class paraded down the hallway to the commons in two uniform lines stopping just outside the gymnasium doors. We could hear the band warming up and playing songs. All the people that were standing around me were bubbling