Introduction: How Teens Feel About School and Why We Should Care

Abstract

In the classic movie, The Breakfast Club this dialog among three adolescents is reflective of how teenagers often regard school and academics. In this example, Brian, clearly in the minority because he enjoys the physics club, is referred to as “a dork.” His schoolmate further goes on to characterize such clubs as, “demented and sad, but social …” Though a fictitious satire, the film reflects the unfortunate reality of how teenagers often regard school and students who are enthusiastic members of learning. This scorn and ridicule directed at Brian illustrates how students who value school are often subject to criticism and low social status; a claim which has been supported in the literature (Staff & Kraeger, 2008).