Jocks and Burnout’s
Social Categories and Identity in the High School
The research for this book was collected in-between 1980-84. It was done in the Detroit area at five high schools. Each predominantly white with a mix of financial categories. The book discusses (in a nutshell) how the social groups (Jocks and Burnout’s) are formed and the reasons why they use totally different avenues to reach the same goal (namely, becoming adults).
As the writer depicts, life for children in elementary school, falls basically into two different categories, the haves and the have nots. Because of this situation the kids usually head in two different directions in trying to reach their goal of becoming adults.
There are the working class families that seem to have less time to spend with their children (while busily trying to support them) who many times end up leaving their children to be watched by the older sibling. These kids learn quickly to fend for themselves and realize at a young age that in there later lives there parents may not be able to totally provide for them. The kids spend more time exploring and growing on their own. As they head into Jr. High, they may possibly try smoking or drinking not only as an experiment in life but to show that they are like adults. Also they begin to look at the school system and regimentation as their enemy. Trying to forces them into a mold in which they do not need or care to fit.
They are trying to show other people that they can be adults themselves. Not that they need other adults to guide them. In the school setting, they don’t see how any of the classes or activities will help them later in life to get a job (applications, job contacts, networking ect.).
The Homework on High School Life 5
High school is a place where young teens learn to become mature and responsible. It is a place where students get trained to take on bigger challenges in life. Obstacles such as college. From my own personal experiences, high school didn’t seem that way. Students were more concerned about getting a passing grade then about what they were taught. They would even cheat their way out of high ...
Finally it was noted that many kids get the views that they have of school from their parents. If their parents did well in school and felt that school helped them to progress in life than many times so do their children and if they feel that school was a waste of their time and in the long run they still ended up fending for themselves anyway, their kids usually follow that line of thinking also.
The Jocks come mostly from a different background. Their parents have been able to prepare very well for them and they don’t feel the “crunch” to become adults right a way that the Burnout’s feel. They have more time in a way to plan. They feel more secure about their parents ability to support them latter on if needed. They look at school(many times as their parents did) as a place to get ahead. A place where you can make contacts, get an education that can further your tools in which to survive and show other adults(through being involved in their activities and directions) that you are an adult. They also begin to separate away from other students that are Burnout’s because of their differing points of view.
The book begins in chapter one to explain how Penelope Eckert begins her research and tries to be “like a fly on the wall” at the schools so that the students will not see her as part of the administration and feel free to talk to her. She spends time at many area’s within the school so that she might experience many different views of the school life and social groups. She also does not spend to much time with the teachers so that she might stay separate(in the students eyes) from that category.
Chapter two goes onto explain the relationships she begins to form with some of the students and the ease at which they begin to speak to her.
Chapter three discusses the local environment such as the fact that the Jocks and Burnout’s geographic orientations are quite different(some in well to do areas and some in affluent neighborhoods).
Paper Paper Term Student Time
How Can Exemplary Term Papers Help You Write Your Own? Whether you " re a freshman undergrad writing your first general overview, a Phd candidate proposing your dissertation topic, or an adult student returning for your masters' degree after many years, deciding what to write and how to put it together can be more frustrating than any other part of your academic career. No matter how clearly your ...
They both frequent some of the same restaurants, but the Burnout’s use public space such as parks, streets and pool halls to hang-out at. While Jocks confine their activities to movies, homes and schools.
Chapter four talks about how the groups dress, act and speak differently. Also it discusses how the division between Jocks and Burnout’s really begins in Jr. High.
Chapter five is about the changes in students at the Jr. High level. The students, before entering high school, begin to look at becoming mature in a different light. They begin to see that being an adult deals more with being yourself than being the part of a group or organization. The two groups than begin to blend a little.
Chapters six and seven key in on the ideas discussed on the beginning of this paper (the differences between Jocks and Burnout),(how this came about ect.).
Chapter eight, discusses the lack of social guidance in the schools. This portion of education is looked at as unimportant to the learning process leaving the Burnout’s with the most to lose. Parents, teachers and society as well as the youth themselves all play equal roles in the categorization of our youth and we are all responsible for finding a better way.
Interesting information in this book shows the stats of Burnout’s in working class middle class and upper class families. The stats are as follows:
Jocks in-betweens Burnout’s
W.C. 16 16 50
L.C. 34 42 22
U.C. 50 42 23
Also interesting is the percentages of Jocks and Burnout’s that end up signed up in academic or vocational courses.
Jocks Burnout’s
academic courses 86 49
vocational courses 5 33
