Anonymous wrote:Agreed that this is SUCH an unusual pairing of schools. I can think of any kid who would be happy at both.
There are plenty of "thrive where they're planted" type of kids out there.
Whether it's social skills, flexibility, or personality (nature or nuture), some kids have traits that help them adapt to all sorts of environments.
The whole "orchid child" vs. "dandelion child" has been overblown, but the research does show that some kids are less influenced by their enviornments and peers than other kids.
It's not better or worse. It's just different.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/your-kid-is-probably-not-an-orchid-or-a-dandelion-but-could-be-both/
"We then investigated whether peer and parent relationships might predict children’s future well-being. In line with past work, some children—7 percent—were “orchids,” highly influenced by both parents and peers. In those cases, positive, supportive relationships with family and friends were linked to better adolescent adjustment—and conflicted, difficult connections early in life were associated with poorer functioning in adolescence. We also identified 10 percent of children who were “dandelions,” highly unsusceptible to both of these social influences, with no clear connection between the quality of their relationships and later behavior.
The middle ground, however, was not simply “tulips” with moderate sensitivity to their relationships. In fact, 15 percent of kids proved highly susceptible to peers but not parents, and 19 percent showed the reverse pattern. Thus, there were quite a few “mosaics.”"