"The people in
the executive suites believed that the school existed to fulfill some
socially productive process of information transmission--usually
involving science poster boards.
"But in reality, of course, high school
is a machine for social sorting.
"The purpose of high school is to give
young people a sense of where they fit into social structure....
"The students
would burn out if forced to spend their entire day amidst the social
intensity of the cafeteria and the hallway.
"Fortunately, the school
authorities also schedule dormant periods, called classes, during which
students can rest the their minds and take a break from the pressures of
social categorization.
"Students correctly understand, though adults
appear not to, that socialization is the most intellectually demanding
and morally important thing they will do in high school."
