âInvisible hierarchy: The Unspoken Truths of Some Private School Social Ranking Systemâ
In a private school where everyone wears the same uniform, not everyone feels equal. A hidden triangle, invisible ranking system, where everyone sees it but never bothers to care about it as long as they are not the one at the bottom. As this essay continues itâll reveal how this hierarchy forms, how it affects the students and the school community.
How some students think that theyâre at the top of the so-called triangle or the top of the system. Using their backgrounds, such as grades, lifestyle, etc.
I interviewed one student to be a part of this topic. He sees and understands it. During group work, âYes, if there are groupings, he said, âthey will choose to be the only ones in the group, because they know there is no burden on them.â They know that they will often score the highest. They will not pick the âbelow oneâ because they know that it will just slow them down.
In class, it gets worse. They will ask what your score is after exams. Then compare it. âYes, sometimes theyâll ask your answers then they compare it, and even announce or tell it to othersâ the respondent shared. It makes you feel less smart.
"Ever felt left out because youâre not 'belong' or 'cool' like the top kids? What was it like?" This raw answer shows the reality of most students "Oo dahil pag hindi ka matalino parang hindi ka welcome sa grupo walang pake sa ideas mo, kaya kailangan mo lang laging sumunod sa kanila feeling ko mababa lang tingin nila sakin dahil hindi ako matalino tulad nila." Here, intelligence becomes a social currency, less "matalino" students must "sumunod" (follow) to belong, their ideas are often ignored.
Popular kids enforce this through subtle rejection, "Oo kasi pag hindi mo kayang makipagsabayan sa kanila lagi kalang nilang ku-kutyain okaya di papansinin ang ideas mo tapos minsan ikaw na ang pinahirapan mababa pa score mo." Unable to "keep up," lower-ranked students get "pangungutya" (teased) or burdened with more or harder tasks, but still get low scores that cement their place at the bottom.
The student stated "Sometimes, for me the teachers let the top students group themselves together and exclude the 'lower students' during the âpilian". "Para sa akin minsan dahil kapag pilian hindi nila pinipigilan," The student noticed. "Minsan ang magkasama lang ay iyong mga top students at hinahayaan iwan ang mga hindi gaano kagalingan na mga estudyante." They let the best group together. The rest are left alone.
By allowing their top students to group together in their selections, that excludes the "lower-performing" students from getting the benefit of being part of those groups.
Although these students are able to work together in a separate group, sometimes this action reinforces that only those in the "higher" group have the right to attain the kinds of opportunities available to the more "higher" group members.
Thus, the invisible hierarchy creates a safe space for students to be afraid of being judged, as they are, therefore, students at the bottom of the pyramid will become increasingly internalised in their feelings of inferiority, as they do, they will continue to suppress all of their ideas and creativity out of fear of being judged.
This limits the exposure of some students to learn more, to contribute, and to grow. Some students just need someone to bring out their real talent and skills, some are just shy to learn to overcome their fear.
These hidden ranks often hurt everyone. Smart kids learn to exclude. Some private schools need to address this issue by creating a system of mixed groupings, providing anti-bias training, and having open forums to discuss issues of equity. Only then will the pyramid system of hierarchy be dismantled and allow for success for all students, not just the elite.