Cliques

One of the many unfortunate things I'll have to deal with when I officially become a teacher in the near future is cliques. You can't avoid them, you can't ignor them, and you can't change the fact that they'll always be there. So, with that being said, I thought I would present a different kind of question: If I were to convince every child to become a member of one particular clique, which would I reccomend (essentailly, which clique is the "best" or most harmless)? My initial reaction would be to steer my kids towards being 'Preps' because as a teacher, who wouldn't want to have a bunch of hard-working, brown-nosing kids who pump out A's? Although, would I be doing these kids a disservice in the long run? Most other people (the non-'Preps') view the 'Preps' primarily as arrogant jerks and teacher's pets. I say screw these "other people" - being a 'Prep' will set you up for life. Not only would you receive 4.0's and get into the best colleges, you'll also get hired in many jobs before the "other people" belonging to the other cliques. Sure, they may be jealous of you during grade school, but one day, they will inevitably respect you and give you mad props for being such a dedicated fool. Let's talk about the other cliques and why I wouldn't steer my kids in that direction. 'Jocks'. They seem to be blessed with physical prowess and generally make friends with the 'Preps' - which is a really good thing because the 'Preps' will allow the 'Jocks' to cheat off of them on tests and papers in exchange for protection. However, there's a reason the 'Jocks' are cheating - they're not very smart. You can only make it so far in life by cheating off of others, so I wouldn't want my kids to be 'Jocks'. How about 'Nerds'? They're really smart and they dig Chewbacca and the USS Enterprise. 'Nerds' get good grades and great opportunities in life outside of grade school, but I wouldn't reccomend my students take this path because 'Nerds' don't get chicks, they're generally wimpy, they get picked on a lot, and because they're picked on a lot, they become really spiteful and bitter - not a way to live life. Let's move on. 'Punks' or 'Skaters' (same thing). They do a lot of drugs and drink a lot of alcohol all the while making a point to rebel against anything and everything in the world (even if it's good) and through this act of rebellion, they generally make really dumb decisions and end up in the adult world as 'losers'. I can't think of anything good to say about 'Punks' - unique wardrobe maybe? What about the 'Goths'? For many of the same reasons surrounding the 'Punk', I wouldn't reccomend any of my kids to become a 'Goth'. They're basically a 'Punk' that starts to cut themselves and listen to depressing music - at least 'Punks' listen to rock and ska. 'Goths' retract from the world and become very spiteful, like 'Nerds', but in a really bad self-defeatist way. Nuff' said there. Then there's the 'Drama kid' or 'Theater person'. This clique seems to promote an abundance of emotion and unneccesary blowing-things-out-of-proportion mentality. They over-react to just about anything, and often times start to play ball on the other side of the fence if you get my drift (not that there's anything wrong with that of course). I would steer my kids away from the 'Theater people' just to save them the perils of needless and completely manufactured stress at such an early age. Next is the 'Band person'. I wasn't ever really sure why, but everybody seemed to avoid these people like the plague back in my day. They really aren't that bad. They're kind of like a cross between a 'Nerd' and a 'Theater person' without the bitterness and the abundance of emotion. 'Band person' is alright - I'm down with that. They're just a little awkward socially, but that's about it. Then there's the 'Loner' or 'Outcast'. They don't have friends. The aren't good in social situations. Their grades depend on the subject. They never stand out. And they are pretty much forgettable. Really, it's not that bad of a clique if you think about it though. They may be labeled as 'Loners' or 'Outcasts' because they don't belong to any of the other cliques and that's a good thing. The undefined kids are labeled as 'Loners' and 'Outcasts' even though they may not display any of the typical attributes of the 'Loner' / 'Outcast'. And the last clique that's coming to mind is the 'Gangster' or 'Homie G'. They create fear, they're "tough", they protect others who are similar to them or belong to their "gang". They steal. They peddle drugs. They drink a lot. And sometimes they stab people - until they get out of grade school, then they get guns and ghetto cars. Definitely don't want my kids to be 'Gangsters'. All-in-all, I'm going to have to say if I had to convince my students to choose a clique, I'd advise them to become a 'Prep' because it will help them the most in the long run ('Band person' is a close second). Of course, it's terrible that we even think of the world in such a stereotypical fashion, but as I started the post off with, that's the way it is and it'll never change. I encourage everyone to try whenever they can not to be judgemental, although I realize such an ideal is outrageously ridiculous. When I become a teacher, I'll never - in fact - steer my students towards any clique above the rest, I'll speak to them in terms of rising above that. Screw everybody else - be you. Let others label you and don't give in. Even beyond grade school, the world - the people you meet - will judge you and label you and it's up to each and every person the just say, 'to hell with it', and be yourself. Who cares about how some label you, the people who truly care will see you for what you are. Instead of getting up on the soap-box (as I just embarassingly did) and fighting this issue, teachers stand pat and ignore it. And by ignoring it, they in turn foster it. Educators need to help students and encourage them not to cave-in to the pressures of their peers and the cliques they're surrounded by. Although, I won't lie, it would be nice to have all of my classrooms full of 'Preps' :P