by Iva K., 6th grader
There is one word that becomes the main focus for many sixth graders: Clique. There is a lot of controversy throughout many middle schools about cliques. One of the main problems with cliques is often the students who make up cliques say that they are just a “group of friends.” But there is a difference between the two. Here is the definition of a clique from Oxforddictionaries.com:
clique [klēk,klik/noun]
1. a small group of people, with shared interests or other features in common, who spend time together and do not readily allow others to join them.
The key difference between a clique and a group of friends is a clique excludes people, a group of friends doesn’t necessarily do that, although they could. In the 6th grade there is a significant problem with cliques. The thing is, all the people who are in a clique don’t really want to say they are in a clique. They don’t seem to understand that acknowledging there is a difference between the two is very important. Most of these kids don’t have bad intentions; most of these students aren’t really mean. They exclude people without even realizing it. They kind of just do what they think at the time is right, and they don’t realize what they may be doing is leaving people out.
At most schools, including Fieldston, there is usually one “popular clique,” and it is typically made up of girls. As a girl, it is sad to me that this is the case. I think if girls stuck together more, it would make us stronger. If cliques didn’t exist, we would be much more comfortable being ourselves. We would be able to dress the way we want, talk the way we want, and really be ourselves.
For a lot of my time at Fieldston, I have felt like I haven’t been able to show my true self. At times, I have felt inferior to the girls in those cliques. But over time and through talking with my parents and friends, I have realized that popularity or status don’t really matter. You should just believe in yourself and not care about what anybody else says.
