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    Valkyrie
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

A Plethora of Prompts - 4. Prompt #122 - Field Notes

p style="font-size:1.1em;line-height:1.3em;"> PT Prompt #122

An anthropologist is assigned to study a unique culture: a middle school cafeteria. Write their field notes. Include observations on eating habits, hierarchies, rituals, speech, and rules.

March 6, 1983

I have started my third week observing the students of Kennedy Middle School. They’ve acclimated to my existence, so pay me no mind anymore. I finally feel I am observing them in their natural state. Table three continues to be the “jock table”, where mainly members of various sports teams congregate. There is some crossover between tables two and four, although it’s mainly the same individuals at the same table. Table ten is the “geeks”, which is apparently another word for outcasts. They are not visited by the members of the other tables, although occasionally someone from tables two-four will fling something in their direction and snicker. Next to the geeks, at table nine, are the “metalheads”. They listen to heavy metal music, wear what the teachers call “inappropriate clothing” consisting of band t-shirts, ripped jeans, and leather jackets. Despite being beneath the legal age to acquire cigarettes, they frequently smell of smoke.

I’ve been able to discriminate one more subculture of this establishment – the “preps”. They wear acid-washed jeans and use safety pins to adhere the cuffs tightly around their ankles. They also wear polo shirts with the collars flipped up instead of the more traditional down.

There is very little intermingling among these subcultures. The most common is between the preps and jocks, but occasionally a prep will appear to befriend a geek. Sometimes this results in a negative outcome, with a ‘prank’ being played on the geek. There is also occasional crossover with the geeks and metalheads. The societal implication of being seen with someone outside their subculture can produce a large gossip event across all subcultures.

For example, a prominent member of the metalhead group came in today dressed in preppie clothing. He was immediately ostracized by the metalheads and met with skepticism from the preps. It will be interesting to see the ultimate outcome of this group switch. Will he integrate or remain an outcast? Perhaps he will return to his metalhead roots, if the betrayal is not considered too much.

I have determined the societal hierarchy to be the following: jocks, preps, geeks, metalheads. The first three tend to be looked upon favorably by the adult overlords, while the metalheads are treated as lost causes. I would like to follow these groups over time to see how this hypothesis bears out.

The speech patterns of the various groups appears to differ. The preps have adopted a new way of speaking called “Valley Girl”. Some common phrases include “like”, “totally tubular”, “grody to the max”, and “whatever”. They speak with a rising pitch at the end, as if asking a question. “Like, oh my God!”. It makes them appear less intelligent than they are. This is another area I would like to track over time, to see how long it remains in their vernacular.

Lunch fare appears to be split into two categories – those who bring their lunch from home and those who buy it in the cafeteria. There is also a subculture among those who buy their lunch, since poorer individuals’ food is subsidized and paid for by the school. There is rigorous trading among those who bring their lunches for items of apparent lesser and greater value to those doing the trading. Favorite choices of those who purchase their food appear to be rectangular pizzas and chocolate milk. I question the nutritive value; however, they generally consume it with gusto.

Tomorrow, I will focus more on the rules and rituals of this fascinating culture. It’s time to get myself a rectangular slice of baked dough and cheese.

Since I have absolutely no clue about modern middle school culture, I went with my own personal experiences. Middle school in the US is typically grades 6-8 (sometimes 5-9, depending on the district or state). How do your experiences compare to these field notes?
Copyright © 2021 Valkyrie; All Rights Reserved.
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 
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From right below the story:
   Since I have absolutely no clue about modern middle school culture, I went with my own personal experiences.  Middle school in the US is typically grades 6-8 (sometimes 5-9, depending on the district or state).  How do your experiences compare to these field notes?

In my district, "Intermediate School" (grades 5 & 6) has replaced "middle school."  Junior High is grades 7 and 8.  High School consists of grades 9-12.  K-4 is elementary.  Some other districts around do it differently.

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A very well describe period in time Valkyrie!  As a retired teacher I saw much of what you described. I would think the period was late 80's to 90's. Your thought for further study was spot on.  I saw a huge change in language take place over 35 years of teaching.  If I did the same about my life during middle school and high school, my groups would be fewer and more flexible.  They would be town vs farm folk, and jocks vs nerds.  It was simpler times in rural US in the 60's.

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19 hours ago, Geron Kees said:

Well, that takes me back a bit! I think these subcultures still exist today in perhaps mutated (updated?) forms from when we were there, but the ones you listed are very much as I remember them. There are likely even a few more of these subcultures today!

There was actually another sort of subculture when I was in school: the neutrals. I had friends among the different groups you listed, but I tended to circulate among them, and I resisted being hung with any particular tag. There were others that did the same thing. So while there were plenty of kids that made a cultural choice in school and gravitated to particular groups, there were others that refused to do that, and insisted on their right to hang with who they pleased, and where they pleased.

So the rules were perhaps a little more flexible, at least when I was in those grades. But a very astute review on your part, with the humorous aspects highlighted. Thanks for sharing! :)

 

 

I agree with you completely about the subcultures still existing today.  I believe they have different names, and there may even be more, but the same general principles apply.  

You are very right about the neutrals.  We didn't have a name for them, but I was one of those also.  I had friends across most of the groups, but didn't fit into any one particular group.  

I'm glad you could relate to this.  Thanks for the great comment! 

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18 hours ago, Dabeagle said:

I remember sitting with friends. The junior high cafeteria was enormous and chaotic, so I think there was less possibility for some cliques to form along traditional lines. High school was different. Oh, and the bog thing about junior high lunch was the huge chocolate chip cookies - but they had to be soft to be any good.

It's interesting how the terminology differs and has changed over time.  Just a few years before me, we had junior high schools vs middle school.  It was 5th-9th grade.  Then they changed it to middle school and made it 6th-8th grade.  My high school contained many of the same cliques, with the addition of the shop kids, who were learning a trade such as auto mechanics or how to be a beautician.  We didn't have huge chocolate chip cookies, but they would have gone nicely with rectangular pizza and chocolate milk lol 

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18 hours ago, Libby Drew said:

You and I either share a birth year or it's really close. This is spot on for then, and... not much has changed. More tech, that's about it. 

Thanks for sharing. 

Thanks! I would have started middle school around 1982 or '83.  I started high school in '86.  The '80s were a great time to be a kid :) 

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15 hours ago, JohnnyC said:

I attended an All -Boys School , It was noisy in The School Dining Hall with All The Standard Cliques There . Day Students Vs Boarding, Jocks vs Academics ,Asst .Art Groupies & Band Kids . I Had/ Have Friends from All The Groups , ‘76-‘81 Years Woot Woot Dancing GIF by iamnotshane

It sounds like different names for similar cliques.  I think some things are pretty universal, regardless of time/location.  Thanks for sharing! 

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14 hours ago, ReaderPaul said:

From right below the story:
   Since I have absolutely no clue about modern middle school culture, I went with my own personal experiences.  Middle school in the US is typically grades 6-8 (sometimes 5-9, depending on the district or state).  How do your experiences compare to these field notes?

In my district, "Intermediate School" (grades 5 & 6) has replaced "middle school."  Junior High is grades 7 and 8.  High School consists of grades 9-12.  K-4 is elementary.  Some other districts around do it differently.

I believe they have changed it here to 6th-9th for middle school.  They change it around depending on population trends.  My parents went to the same high school I did, and they had a graduating class of about 2k, I believe, as compared to mine of about half that.  I think there's even less now.  They actually split the high school into two different ones for the baby boomers, and there was talk a few years ago about reconsolidating the two, but they were met with too much backlash.  

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9 hours ago, raven1 said:

A very well describe period in time Valkyrie!  As a retired teacher I saw much of what you described. I would think the period was late 80's to 90's. Your thought for further study was spot on.  I saw a huge change in language take place over 35 years of teaching.  If I did the same about my life during middle school and high school, my groups would be fewer and more flexible.  They would be town vs farm folk, and jocks vs nerds.  It was simpler times in rural US in the 60's.

Language is constantly evolving, especially when it comes to vernacular and younger generations.  Valley girl speak was the "in" thing when I was in middle school... like... totally...yeah!  I didn't embrace it as completely as some, because even back then, a lot of it just sounded dumb.  :P I will admit to being completely in the dark as to a lot of modern phrases/words and either need to look them up or ask my student intern, but I won't get started on current generational differences.  :unsure:  

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5 hours ago, Aditus said:

Interesting and different from what I see around here, it might be the difference in time or place, but definitely more tech.

We didn't have much tech back then.  Atari was the big new thing.  Computers were a novelty and not widely used.  No cell phones.  I think I broke my intern's mind when she found out we had no cell phones as a kid  🤣 

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17 hours ago, Valkyrie said:

Language is constantly evolving, especially when it comes to vernacular and younger generations.  Valley girl speak was the "in" thing when I was in middle school... like... totally...yeah!  I didn't embrace it as completely as some, because even back then, a lot of it just sounded dumb.  :P I will admit to being completely in the dark as to a lot of modern phrases/words and either need to look them up or ask my student intern, but I won't get started on current generational differences.  :unsure:  

I forgot to add that I was ROFL with the school name.  I had an two week internship at Kennedy Middle School as a requirement for my first teaching degree. :rofl:

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6 hours ago, Dan South said:

A very enjoyable, and very accurate, time hop. Never needed the safety pin to peg my jeans or khakis but sure do remember the importance. 

Moon Unit Zappa will be in my head for the rest of the day. Fer sure fer sure..

Like... totally awesome, man.  I'm fer sure glad you liked it 😁  I will admit to pinning my khakis and jeans, but am also proud to admit I never sported a big hairdo, even though many of my friends did.  When I was in college, we called two of my classmates "big hair" and "little hair" because of their impressive coifs LOL 

stand up laughing GIF

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1 hour ago, Valkyrie said:

Like... totally awesome, man.  I'm fer sure glad you liked it 😁  I will admit to pinning my khakis and jeans, but am also proud to admit I never sported a big hairdo, even though many of my friends did.  When I was in college, we called two of my classmates "big hair" and "little hair" because of their impressive coifs LOL 

stand up laughing GIF

I had a thing for Flock of Seagulls and their hair. I was headed out for a date and my father followed me with one of my sister’s barrettes. Told me if I was going to drive his car I was getting that hair out of my eyes. The higher the hair…

At least I know why I’m balding now. Too much Aquanet then…

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