How does the social hierarchy affect education and learning?

Education and learning are all impacted by the amount of sleep you get, your family life, and how much support you have.

One underlying factor many people forget about is the social hierarchy. For decades it's been this factor in how a child does in school. The social structure shifts from time to time and there have been adjustments to the system, but the hierarchy plays a major role.

It is a self-evident fact that what people think of us affects our mood and productivity. The social hierarchy varies from school to school but, the most basic structure can be broken down into three parts; jocks, normals, and nerds. In 2019 UIC today conducted a study and students broke the social hierarchy into 11 different groups. At the top of the pyramid rested the popular kids, jocks, floaters, and good-ats.

The popular kids and jocks were all rich, attractive, and well-known. Floaters were students that floated between groups and good-ats were students that were all-rounded and liked. The normals consisted of fine arts, brains, normals, and stoners. Fine arts and brains were all students that were good at what they specifically did such as academics or arts. The normals tend to be invisible and untitled. Lastly, the nerds are composed of goths, manga, and loners. Goth kids dress up in dark dresses and the mange students are students who love Japanese novels/cartoons. The loners are students with low self-esteem and primarily stay to themselves.

It is evident when you see someone you can easily categorize them. This system leads students to think about what their peers think of them on an hourly basis. With their minds on what they like and how they fit in, students need help to focus on their academics.

Students in a higher social class making snide and rude comments can affect the mood of their peers. In most scenarios, people who are higher up on the pyramid tend to come from money and stable families. This can make their peers upset and frustrated over time.

Understanding the social hierarchy can help dissolve it and lead to a more balanced school life. Each child can have a different feeling or approach to the system. Some may like it and some may resent it.

What we can do is to make sure all the social classes feel comfortable and respected when they go to school. Students should feel safe and relaxed when they go to school, they shouldn't be worried about what their peers think of them.