This week’s readings definitely had me reeling. I struggled to keep it together, especially while reading the Murray and Naranjo study. My MVP comes from that piece: on page 152, the authors discuss “Domain Three: Peer Factors.” Most of these 11 students “had to forgo many, if not all, peer relationships within the context of the school” (Murray et al, 2008, p.152). This really struck as both an educator and past student. In my high school experience, my friends helped me cope with school, serving as incentive (apart from parental pressure and an interest in learning) to return even when I didn’t want to. They weren’t bad influences, and it never crossed my mind that maybe I would have done better if I had isolated myself. This fact reminds me of my privilege going to school in a relatively homogenous white, upper-middle class area. As an educator, I worry what precedent this sets for community building in the classroom and the school itself. If some students perceive others as bad influences and choose to isolate themselves, I imagine it would be difficult to unify the student body.