A high school teacher broke down all the cliques she sees at her school (and what she loves about each one)
If there’s anything that has always been true and will always be true about high school, it’s that cliques rule the social scene. For as long as teens have gone to school together, they’ve divided themselves into social groups based on looks, clothes, and interests. But one high school teacher on TikTok is spilling some tea about cliques, and we’re all ears.
Ms. C, who goes by @stillateacher on TikTok, shared a video in which she breaks down all the cliques she sees in her high school classroom, plus what she loves about the kids in each one.
“Here’s what I enjoy about teaching each of the high school cliques,” she said. “Are cliques a problem? Yes. Do they still exist? Yes. Are there genuinely great, sweet kids in every clique? Yes. So this one’s all love, no slander.”
@stillateacher Something loveable about every clique #teacher #teachersoftiktok #teachertok #highschool #clique
♬ original sound – Ms. C
First up is the goth kids, who we all know can be a little, um, intimidating, and Ms. C agrees.
“When I was in high school I was scared of goth kids, so I didn’t talk to them. Now that I’m a teacher and I talk to everyone, I’ve realized that goth kids can be so nice,” she says. “A common interaction between me and a goth kid is throughout class, they’re just kind of like giving me a death glare, but it may just be the way their eyeliner is drawn on.”
Yeah, that checks out.
Next up is theater kids, who Ms. C says “really don’t care what anyone thinks.” But she also calls out that they have “really strong literacy skills from reading and memorizing all of these plays.”
“They can just like, quote Shakespeare off the cuff. Oh, and if you ever need anyone to read aloud something in class, they’ll, like, go up to the front of the room and do a dramatic reading. It’s great,” she says.
In follow-up videos, Ms. C analyzed some other cliques she sees. First were the band kids, who, like theater kids, also don’t really care what others think of them.
@stillateacher Replying to @juan pablo Suarez band kids get a 5 star review #teacher #teachersoftiktok #teachertok #highschool #clique
♬ original sound – Ms. C
“They’re pretty smart, pretty clever,” she says. “They’re totally, 100% comfortable at school. I think it’s because of all the time they spend there, with all the rehearsals.”
She added, “They just lead a fun, joyful existence… it’s a whole vibe and I love it. I wish more kids were in band.”
And in another follow-up, Ms. C talked about art kids.
@stillateacher Replying to @Escape_My_Reality art kids = generous brilliant unproblematic royalty
♬ original sound – Ms. C
“In general, I think art kids are incredibly self-deprecating,” she said. “They’re usually incredibly talented, incredibly smart. But they undersell themselves.”
She also called out their great taste in art, music, and books, and the fact that art kids tend to be shy, but still somehow friends with everyone, which is definitely true.
Which clique will she do next? We can’t wait to see.
