Talking About Cliques in High School
Lily: In the films, we always see in American high schools, like, different very distinct groups of- of kids, um, is it really like that?
Carol: Uh – let me – let me preface it by saying that every high school is different, so I can’t speak for every high school in America,
Carol: but my school was definitely like that. There were the sports kids, there were the artsy kids, there were the nerds, and everyone sort of stuck to their own social group.
Lily: Di- did they in- interact with each other? Was there, like, um, nastiness or was it more a case of staying out of each other’s way?
Carol: Yeah, so, there were a few people, like, a select group of students who could sort of navigate all of those different social groups effortlessly, but they were… they, like, excelled at everything,
Carol: so they were really good at sports, but also really artistic, and they could also play an instrument.
Carol: And so, not just anyone could do it, but the good thing, uh, especially if you’re coming to the USA from abroad, is that you have an outside perspective of all of this.
Lily: So you can choose how and who you want to establish , uh, relationships with.
Carol: Yeah, exactly, exactly, because none of these petty social issues really matter in the grand scheme of life.
Vocabulary:
very distinct groups – clearly different and separate crowds or cliques, “The university campus has very distinct groups of students, from athletes to tech enthusiasts.”
preface it by saying – to introduce your main point with an initial statement or warning, “Let me preface it by saying that I am no expert, but I think this plan could work.”
speak for – to represent the views, thoughts, or experiences of a larger group of people, “I can only share my own opinion; I cannot speak for the entire team.”
artsy – having a strong interest or natural talent in creative things like painting, music, or theater, “She loves visiting galleries and wearing unique, artsy clothing.”
nerds – a term for people who are extremely enthusiastic about academic subjects, computers, or niche hobbies, “The computer science club was filled with tech nerds who loved coding.”
stuck to their own – stayed exclusively with people who share the same background, interests, or group, “During the international conference, people unfortunately stuck to their own language groups.”
nastiness – unkind, rude, or malicious behavior toward others, “There was a lot of online nastiness after the controversial football match.”
staying out of each other’s way – avoiding one another on purpose to prevent conflict or arguments, “The two rival politicians managed to co-exist by simply staying out of each other’s way.”
select group – a small, carefully chosen number of people or things, “Only a select group of students were invited to the private ceremony.”
navigate – to successfully move through or deal with a complicated social situation, “It can be difficult to navigate a new corporate culture during your first week.”
effortlessly – doing something so easily that it appears to require absolutely no hard work, “The dancer moved effortlessly across the stage.”
excelled at – was exceptionally good at a specific activity or subject, “He always excelled at mathematics throughout his school years.”
from abroad – coming from a foreign country, “The university welcomes thousands of new students from abroad every single year.”
outside perspective – a viewpoint from someone who is not personally involved in a situation, “An consultant can provide an outside perspective on how to fix our business model.”
establish – to start, build, or create a formal relationship or system, “The company wants to establish new partnerships with local suppliers.”
petty – unimportant, minor, or silly, especially when it causes unnecessary worry or arguments, “They had a petty argument over who should wash the coffee mugs.”
in the grand scheme of life – looking at the big picture or the long-term reality of existence, “Failing one small quiz does not matter in the grand scheme of life.”