9781422283820

WHAT ARE STEREOT YPES? 13

This is the stereotypical image we often have in our minds when we hear the word “nerd.”

CLOSE-UP: SOME COMMON HIGH SCHOOL STEREOTYPES

The average high school has its share of stereotypes—lumping certain kinds of people together, ignoring the ways that each person is unique. These stereotypes are often expressed with a single word or phrase: jock, nerd, goth, prep, geek. The images these words call to mind are easily recognized and understood by others who share the same views, but they don’t tell the whole story about an individual. A person’s most interesting qualities may be overlooked when he or she is lumped into a stereotype.