'I think people are much more accepting and much more embracing of differences.' Perhaps this generation of high school losers will prove Robbins' Quirk Theory once and for all. 'I think in the adult world, they're getting there,' Robbins says. And then there are the geeks all grown up: Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft's Bill Gates and Apple's Steve Jobs.

And geek-glorifying shows and movies - think: Glee, Napoleon Dynamite and Big Bang Theory - have enjoyed enormous popularity. These days, geeks seem to be enjoying a moment in the sun: Things that were once geeky - video games, science fiction, fantasy books - are now quirky-cool. Teachers should also be mindful of their own friendships at school, Robbins reminds students are extremely sensitive to social hierarchies and can sense cliques among their teachers, too.

Robbins recommends pairing unlikely students to work together in class, and making sure students from all different cliques are treated equally. She says that in high school she was a 'floater.'įor all the thousands of dollars some schools are spending on anti-bullying campaigns, by promoting some activities above others, the school is 'telling students essentially who should be picked on and who shouldn't,' Robbins says.īut there are plenty of positive things that teachers can do. Alexandra Robbins is also the author of Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities and The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids.

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