Student Subcultures

So I've been reminded once a week by Jose Luis that I haven't updated my blog in months. I make empty promises, but at the end of the day, I just don't make time to write. My excuse is that I already have to write so much for my classes that I don't have energy to write on this.  Maybe it's not an excuse.

Either way, here is a short two-page reading reflection that I had to do for my Sociology of Schools class. Enjoy.

Student Subcultures: The Informal School Setting

            Schools are composed of two different types of social worlds for students: the classroom setting and the non-classroom environment.  The classroom is a place with norms that are set and enforced by the instructional leader.  Similarly, places like the cafeteria, playground, and hallways also have established social norms.  However, this social world is governed not by any faculty or staff member, rather, it is enforced by the very students that abide by its code.  Not only are the norms of these social worlds administered by different “actors,” there is also a vast difference in what is valued: the classroom values academic achievement, every other place values social standing.  As a result, the dichotomy between both social worlds regularly forces students to choose what social world they value more, often at the expense of the other.

            Similar to the way academic caste systems materialize themselves in classrooms (high achievers, average students, low students), students also rank each other through a complicated system of social classes at the informal level.  For example, a quick glance at an average high school will reveal the various types of social groups: the goths, stoners, jocks, nerds, preppies, etc.  Much energy has been spent on examining high school “cliques” and the ramifications of a particular social label.  Surprisingly enough, these social distinctions don’t just start at adolescence; they begin at the elementary level.  Although not as complex as high school social groups, from a young age, students rank each other into distinct social groups.

            A particular challenge for educators is to decipher how students are affected by their social standing inside and outside of the classroom. While some students are valued in one social setting and not the other, many students are not valued in either.  The implications for these students are serious, as they can often feel undervalued and not find a connection with school.  School as an institution typically reward students that excel in either formal or informal settings, but they must also find ways to validate those “invisible” students.

            For better or worse social groupings will always exist in schools.  Therefore, I believe that educators should use these social groupings to their advantage.  As an administrator, I would attempt to gain the favor of the students that have a high social standing.  To be clear I am not saying that I would bribe them or grant them undeserved rewards.  I am simply saying that I would have them help me use their influence for the greater good of the school.  I would create a ‘Principal’s Committee’ comprised of the most influential students in the school.  If I can achieve buy-in from these students, the rest of the peers would follow suit.  It would, however, require a balance.  If the overall student population viewed these committee members as “principal’s pets,” the students may lose influence and all the work would be for nothing.

            The most work, though, would come in assisting those “invisible” students.  Students that aren’t rewarded socially or academically find no value in attending school on a day-to-day basis.  These are the students that are most at risk to leave high school without graduating.  In my school, I would concentrate on ways to increase opportunities for “invisible” students.  For example, I would reward students in non-traditional ways.  Students are regularly rewarded for performing well academically or having social influence (Student of the Month, Prom Queen/King, Homecoming Court, etc.), but we rarely reward students for things that don’t fall into either of those categories.  Perhaps establishing more clubs and organizations would help “invisible” students find their niche.  Some students may feel underrepresented because of how they identify socially.  Founding and supporting organizations like a Latino Student Association, Gay-Straight Alliance, or Journalism Club could be the reason why someone looks forward to coming to school every day, and ultimately, the reason why they stick around and graduate.