College of Education
Long Island University, C. W. Post
March, 2011
I really liked that we started today’s class with a viewing of Mean Girls 2. I have not seen this movie before, but I did see that first one. As out there and ridiculous as the movies may seem, I do feel that they capture the exaggerated version of what goes on in high schools and middle schools today. Adolescents can be extremely cruel, and as a teacher, it is important to realize this and think about what we may be able to do to change it.
While we were discussing cliques today, I found myself unable to place myself in clique. My high school did have cliques, but I was not really involved in them. Actually, the only people that actually recognized them were the popular girls (the kickline) and the jocks. Other than them, everyone in my high school was pretty accepting, and you were able to be the person you wanted to be without fear of being picked on. At least I felt this way anyway. I was very scholastic in school, and I was also involved heavily in the band. While I know some people considered me a nerd, or a band geek, it did not bother me, because I didn’t take it to heart. Actually, with the groups of friends I hung out with, we embraced our “weirdness” and had fun with it. I can truly say that in high school, I was never pressured to hide who I was in order to please someone else. My group of friends just weren’t like that.
Going back to the high school now however, I fear that the reign of cliques has gotten worse. I see my brother falling into cliques and constantly trying to fit into them. He is a good kid, but I feel as though he has shied away from schoolwork for fear of looking too smart and “uncool” to his peers. Unfortunately, it seems to be the negative cliques that put others down that seem to be dominating the school. There are still students that do not care what others think of them, but the number of those students are dwindling.
This is a horrible thing that is happening to not only my school, but schools all around the country I’m sure. As a future teacher, it is important to recognize these cliques and their effects on others, and to try and figure out a way to make them have a much more positive influence on other students. I think one of the challenges that has to be tackled is redefining what cool is. Somehow, we have to get through to our students that you don’t have to be pretty and stupid to be cool. Smart kids can be cool too. Our students need to be nurtured and free to grow, as well as to improve their skills and expand their knowledge. This cannot happen if cliques are defining being interested in learning as a nerdy thing to do.
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