“Sixth Grade Madness”

Abstract

This ethnographic look at sixth graders and their parents as they apply to private high schools highlights the emotion work parents do as they push their children through a process they dislike. Parents manage their own emotions, forcing themselves to believe that the private school system is necessary, so that they can manage their children's emotions: motivating them, preparing them for disappointment, and comforting them. This emotion work challenges and deepens social, cultural, and human capital theories by problematizing the transfer of capital resources. It shows that, unlike the automatic inheritance of money, the inheritance of other forms of capital is done through a great deal of work, tension, and anxiety for parents and children. It also demonstrates, through the exploration of an extreme case, the parental work involved in securing a good education for children and the dilemmas parents face trying to motivate children and make them feel confident and loved.